Ingredients
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For the Cake Base
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5 eggs
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1/3 cup granulated sugar
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1/2 cup walnutsground
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1 Tbsp flour
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From 1 orange orange juice
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For the Filling
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250 grams walnutsground
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4 egg yolks
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1/3 cup granulated sugar
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2/3 cup butter
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50 grams dark chocolate chips
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1/2 cup milk
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1 orange juice
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For the Cream Topping
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2 cups heavy cream
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3 tbsps powdered sugar
Directions
This traditional Serbian cake is flavored with walnuts, chocolate and fresh oranges. It’s light (in consistency, not calories!) and not too sweet, made up of three layers: a nearly flourless walnut crust, held up by egg whites; a walnut cream, flavored with orange zest and a touch of dark chocolate, and fresh whipped cream.
This recipe, dating back to 1908, was supposedly made to show thanks for the birth of a healthy baby. Here’s the story of the Vasa cake, which has become very popular across Serbia:
Vasa Čokrljan from Paraćin in Serbia was regarded as an incorrigible bachelor. In 1908, at the age of 41, he decided to marry, a surprise to all. He married Jelena, who was later to claim to have found the best and most gentle husband in the whole world in Vasa. Vasa was happy when he was told that his wife was expecting a child. But the joy did not last long, as her housekeeper said the unborn child was too big for her gentle figure and there would be complications. He advised them to give birth to a well-known hospital in Belgrade . Frightened for his wife, Vasa decided to spend the money and go with her to Vienna. It was found that he acted correctly, the complications were greater than initially assumed. But the best doctor in Vienna was able to save mother and child, and ensure a happy birth. Having returned to his native country, Vasa’s mother-in-law gave a rich feast, as a thank-you, that everything was going well and daughter and granddaughter were all well. She surprised her son-in-law with a new pie creation, which was named after him as a Vasa cake and has since been one of the most popular cakes in Serbia.
This cake was tasty, but the consistency of the filling was too runny, causing it to pour out of the spring-form pan even once chilled, and really turn into more of a pile than a torte. To try to prevent this from happening to you, I’ve cut the milk by half in the recipe listed below, but if you are still finding the filling to runny you may want to finish off the chill in the freezer!
Recipe Source: Wayfaring Baker
Steps
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1
Done
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Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9" spring form pan with parchment paper and grease the sides. |
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2
Done
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Beat together the egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy. Mix in ground walnuts and flour and combine. |
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3
Done
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In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they have stiff peaks. Carefully fold them into the egg and walnut mixture. Pour into a prepared cake tin and bake for 25 minutes. |
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4
Done
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Remove from oven, drizzle with juice from one orange and set aside to cool. |
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5
Done
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Add milk and 1 Tbsp sugar to a sauce pan and heat to a simmer. Stir in the dark chocolate to melt. Once it looks like chocolate milk, remove from the stove top. Stir in the zest and juice of one orange. Pour over ground walnuts and mix well. |
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6
Done
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In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolk and sugar. Stir into the chocolate mixture, and finally add in the softened butter and mix well. Spread the filling over the cake and chill in the fridge for about two hours. |
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7
Done
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Whip the cream and the sugar to a soft fluffy consistency - don't overwhip. Spread carefully over the chilled cake and decorate as desired. |
