Russian cake is one of those #onlyinNOLA desserts. It is made with pieces of leftover cake that have been combined, reformed, mixed with raspberry jam and food dye and rebaked.

We saw our first Russian cake at Laurel Street Bakery this week:

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Haydel’s Bakery also is known for its Russian cake. Here’s what the famous bakery has to say about the origins of the dessert:

An old-fashioned favorite. The cake dates back to 1872 when the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia visited New Orleans for Mardi Gras. We combine gold cake, devil’s food cake and almond cake all mixed with raspberry jelly, rum flavor and a hint of anise, topped with homemade butter cream icing. Very rich and moist, this is sure to please the palate.

And here’s a video explainer: