Louisiana Russian Cake

Russian cake or Creole trifle is a traditional cake originating from Louisiana. Dating back to the 19th century, the cake is made by placing leftover bakery confection scraps into a cake tin and pressing them with weights such as bags of flour or sugar. The cake is enriched with a few splashes of rum, while infused syrups or raspberry jelly are used as binding agents. It is believed that Louisiana Russian cake was modeled on raspberry trifle, punschtorte, or Charlotte Russe cake. Nowadays, the cake is usually covered with an icing topped with sprinkles, and anise extract is often used to enrich the flavors.