If you find yourself in Belgrade and crave for a good cake, Hotel Moskva is the place to go. This is the home for the one and only Moskva cake, born and raised in Belgrade. Through its history, hotel Moskva has been a meeting place of poets, artists and intellectuals of the time. Ivo Andric, Serbian Nobel Prize Winner in literature used to have his own table in its scenic garden. A landmark of Belgrade, this hotel stands in the very centre of the capital as architectural ornament and serves as a meeting point of many, Belgradians and those who pass by. Whenever I visit my hometown, I never miss going there, either with my mother or father. This is a modest reconstruction of the Moskva schnitte cake. Enjoy!
Moskva Hotel Cake
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- Prep Time
- Minutes
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- Cook Time
- Minutes
- Difficulty Level easy
Ingredients
- [FOR 4 SPONGES]
- 8 egg whites
- 12 tbs walnuts, ground
- 2 tbs hazelnuts, ground
- 2 tbs soft flour
- 8 tbs sugar
- [FOR THE FILLING]
- 8 egg yolks
- 6 tbs sugar
- 400ml custard*
- 125g butter
- 200g sour cherries or mixed berries
- 100g canned pineapple
- 60g hazelnuts, roasted and chopped
- 200ml fresh cream, beaten
Instructions
- [SPONGE:] Separate egg whites and yolks. Preheat the oven to 200C.
- In a bowl, beat lightly the egg whites. Add sugar and mix till it forms stiff foam.
- Add sifted flour, then stir in walnuts and hazelnuts and mix gently with spatula.
- Layer the baking tray with paper. Pour in the mixture, layer evenly to the edges, place in the oven and bake for 14min. Transfer on a rack and cool completely. Turn the sponge upside down and scrape the baking paper off.
- Remove the uneven edges, then cut in 4 even rectangles.
- [FILLING:] Make the custard*. Cover with a plastic wrap so that there is no air between the custard and plastic cover.
- In another bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar till pale yellow for 5 minutes.
- Combine it with the custard and mix well. Cook on low fire in a double boiler stirring constantly till it thickens, for a few minutes. Stir in butter, mix well till melted. Divide in half, one will be used for filling, other for decoration. Let cool completely in the fridge.
- [LAYERING:] Just before layering, beat the fresh cream.
- Layer the cake: sponge, filling, 1/2 cherries, 1/2 hazelnuts, whip.
- Next layer: sponge, filling, 1/2 pineapple, whip.
- Next layer: sponge, filling, 2/2 cherries, 2/2 pineapple, 2/2 hazelnuts, whip.
- Final layer: sponge, and decorate with remaining custard and whip cream.
- *[For the custard] 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
- 300 ml whole milk
- 100ml double cream 3.5% fat +
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- [DIRECTIONS] *place a sieve over a heatproof bowl
- In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, cream, and egg yolks; then add to saucepan.
- Place on the stove and, whisking constantly, cook over medium-high until mixture thickens and is bubbling, around 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking, 1 minute.
- Remove pan from heat and pour mixture through sieve into bowl. Stir in butter and vanilla until combined.
- Press plastic wrap directly against surface of pudding to prevent skin from forming and refrigerate 3 hours (or up to 3 days). To serve, whisk until smooth and divide among four small bowls.
- Servings : 4
- Ready in : 34 Minutes
- Recipe Type : DessertSerbian food
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