Croatian Torta of Split
A Dalmatian cake made up of meringue sponge, a nutty raisin mix, and a German style buttercream.
Ingredients
Cake
- 9 egg whites
- 9 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (I also added 1/2 tsp of Cream of Tartar to the meringue, but this might have forced it into too much of a meringue for this recipe. Lessons abound!)
Filling
- 3/4 cup chopped almonds (or other nuts) (*not enough filling in my experience)
- 3/4 cup dried chopped figs (*not enough filling in my experience)
- 3/4 cup chopped raisins (*not enough filling in my experience) -- I used golden raisins
Custard Buttercream
- 1 Tbsp flour
- pinch of salt
- juice of a lemon
- 9 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 6 tbsp confectioners sugar
- rind of one orange
- 14 tbsp unsalted butter, softened (too much!)
Instructions
- Gather the chopped figs, nuts,and raisins (I would like to try walnuts and/or hazelnuts like a traditional Dacquoise and additional dried fruits befitting to Dalmatia like plums and apricots.)
- You can add any of the dried fruits to the lemon juice (I am thinking to soak in brandy next time in a nod to my Anglo baking obsession.) Squeeze out the excess juices after a time.
- Mix the fruits and nuts into the flour until incorporated.
- Mix egg whites with salt and lemon juice (and Cream of Tartar). Very slowly add the sugar spoon by spoon until a meringue has formed with stiff peaks.
- Fold into the nuts/fruit/flour mix and add to cake tins or baking trays (the traditional shape is rectangular,but I decided to start in cake tins for a round edge--less room for error in cutting I figured.)
- Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Leave to cool, then release the meringue from the tins. In my case, wonder why it looks done, yet didn't color properly!
- In a Bain Marie, combine the egg yolks with the sugar, adding additional flavors (orange zest and rum in my case, and some more vanilla), continuously stirring, for 10 minute or until thickened.
- Remove from heat and let cool. Cream the softened butter (less next time), and mix with the cooled custard.
- "Frost" the cake and decorate in whatever style suits you. I added diced almonds to the sides, shaved orange zest on top, along with sliced figs and a few bay leaves, in honour of the fresh bay leaf trees I remember swaying in the early morning bura wind as I left my family's house in Split for the airport.