The Ultimate Layered Cake

How to prepare the ultimate layered cake

1. Mix the sour cream with the eggs. Melt the butter.
2. Generously butter a rectangular baking pan measuring 22cm x 33cm and about 10cm deep.
   * My pan was only 7cm deep and the cake was at its limit - it's better to have a deeper pan.
3. Poppy seed filling: Mix all ingredients, then add 7 tablespoons of the sour cream-egg mixture and blend until smooth.
4. Cheese filling: Beat the cottage cheese with the sugar and egg. Add the raisins that have been soaked beforehand in hot water with a little rum (at least 30 minutes). Add 10 tablespoons of the sour cream-egg mixture and blend until smooth.
5. Walnut filling: Mix all ingredients, then add 5 tablespoons of the sour cream-egg mixture and blend until smooth.
6. Apple filling: Mix the coarsely grated apples with sugar and cinnamon, then add 1 tablespoon of the sour cream-egg mixture and blend.
8. Roll out the puff pastry slightly, then cut a piece the size of your baking pan. Place the pastry on the bottom of the pan.
9. Take 2 phyllo sheets, brush them with melted butter, fold them in half lengthwise, and place them over the pastry.
   * Don't forget to keep the phyllo sheets you're not working with covered with a damp towel as they dry out quickly.
   ** You won't use all the sheets from the two packages of phyllo dough, only as many as needed to build the layers according to the instructions below.
10. Start forming the layers in this order: poppy seed, cheese, walnut, and apple. The order is important because the dry filling layers (poppy seed and walnut) alternate with the wetter filling layers (cheese and apple).
    So continue like this:
    - Spread 1/2 of the poppy seed mixture over the phyllo sheets, then drizzle with 2 tablespoons of melted butter.
    - Add 2 more phyllo sheets, brush with melted butter, fold in half lengthwise, and place over the poppy seed layer.
    - Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture, then drizzle with 2 tablespoons of melted butter.
    - Add 2 more phyllo sheets, brush with melted butter, fold in half lengthwise, and place over the cheese layer.
    - Spread 1/2 of the walnut mixture, then drizzle with 2 tablespoons of melted butter.
    - Add 2 more phyllo sheets, brush with melted butter, fold in half lengthwise, and place over the walnut layer.
    - Spread 1/2 of the apple mixture (lightly squeezed of juice), then drizzle with 2 tablespoons of melted butter.
    - Add 2 more phyllo sheets, brush with melted butter, fold in half lengthwise, and place over the apple layer.
    So far we have 4 filling layers with phyllo sheets between them.
    Now repeat the layers in the same order, so that at the end we have 8 filling layers with phyllo sheets between them.
11. The last layer will be phyllo sheets that we brush with butter on top and then with the sour cream-egg mixture.
12. Bake at 170°C (340°F) for 75 minutes. At the end, turn on the broiler for a few minutes if you want the top layer to be more golden.
14. Remove the cake from the oven, brush once more with a thin layer of sour cream-egg mixture, and let it cool completely.
15. Serve cut into cubes, optionally dusted with vanilla powdered sugar.

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