It has been a royalty of a cake in my family, my mom baked in only on very special occasion – our birthdays or the New Year. It is super rich, no low calories here, but it’s not the richness that makes it exceptional, the flavors are overwhelming. Soft merengue loaded with walnuts between 2 sponge like layers, every layer saturated with icing (we call it cream in Russian). It was very labor intensive at the times when there were no hand mixers, now it just requires some planning and enthusiasm. But it is totally worth it.
Ingredients:
- Butter 300 gr
- Granulated sugar 1/2 cup + 1/2cup
- Confection sugar (granulated sugar can be used instead) – 1 cup
- Sour cream 3/4 cup
- Baking soda 1/2 tsp
- Large eggs 3 + 2
- Flour 1.5 cup + 1 tbsp
- Milk 1.5 cup
- Chopped walnuts – 1 cup
Directions:
The bottom and the top layers:
- 150 gr room temperature butter cream with 1/2 cup of sugar using whisk or a hand mixer.
- Add 3 egg yolks, continue whipping
- Mix soda with sour cream
- Add to the butter and yolks mixture, combine and whisk together
- Gradually add flour till fully incorporated, you can use hand mixer all the way just reduce the speed
- Divide the batter in half place each part into a greased with butter or neutral vegetable oil baking sheet
- Place into preheated to 375 F oven and bake about 25-30 min or until golden brown
For the icing:
- In a saucepan mix 2 egg yolks with 1/2 cup of sugar
- Add 1 tbsp flour, mix to combine
- gradually add 1.5 cup of milk
- Add 150 gr of butter
- Put a pan on a low heat
- Bring a boil stirring constantly till the cream thickens a little
For the middle layer:
- Add a pinch cream of tartar to the egg whites (5 egg whites)
- Beat the whites in a stand mixer or with hand mixer in a big bowl
- Gradually add confection sugar (granulated will work too) while beating
- Beat for another 2-3 minutes till the mixture is glossy
- Carefully fold in chopped walnuts
- Bake in 325 F oven for 35-40 min
- Leave in in the oven for about 30 min after turning the oven off
- Assemble the cake – put one of the sponge layers to the platter, spread the icing, then carefully put the merengue layer, spread the icing, do the same with the top layer.
- Decorate with ground chocolate.
- It has to stay in the room temperature for several hours or overnight for the icing to soak
