VASA'S CAKE (VASINA TORTA)

I remember this cake from my childhood, my mum always said that Vasina torta is the queen among cakes. I've never liked it though, not until I've grown up. Then I found out why this cake is so popular and special. It's not a complicated cake, it has 1 row of biscuit, 1 row of filling cream and 1 row of egg white cream.

Vasina cake is said to be an authentic Balkan cake whose recipe say that dates back to 1908. It is one of the culinary legends and every woman needs to make it at least once in her life. Vasa's cake takes a little effort, but the effect is mesmerizing. It is delicious and very juicy - you will adore it!

Use a round cake mold with a diameter of 24cm.

INGREDIENTS AND PREPARATION:

Biscuit:

• 5 egg whites
• 5 tablespoons crystal sugar
• 5 yolks
• 1 tablespoon of soft flour
• 50 g ground almonds
• 40 g of rind chocolate for cooking
  

Preparation of the biscuit:

1. Whisk the egg whites with a mixer, then gradually add sugar spoon by spoon, whisking until a creamy and light structure is obtained. 
2. Whisk the egg yolks separately and add them into the egg whites mixture slowly and mix with a wooden spoon. Mix in flour, nuts and grated chocolate and gently mix with the wooden spoon. We need to obtain the light structure as much as possible.
3. Coat the bottom of the cake mold with a diameter of 24cm with baking paper and coat the edges of the mold with butter. Pour in the mixture, flatten it slightly and bake at 180 C degrees for about 20-25-30 minutes. Allow the crust to cool in the pan. With a knife, separate the edge of the baking tray and remove the biscuit from the mold. Remove the paper and put the biscuit on a serving plate.
   

Filling:

• 4 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons crystal sugar
• 100-125 ml milk
• 125 g sugar crystal
• 200 g ground walnuts
• 60 g of melted chocolate for cooking
• 10 tablespoons orange juice
• finely rind peel of 1 orange
• 150 g softened butter at room temperature

Filling preparation:

1. Whisk the egg yolks with 4 tablespoons of sugar for short then let them simmer for about 5 minutes. Leave them to cool. The yolks are cooked briefly for heat treatment only, so they do not need to be cooked for more than 10 minutes as for other cakes.
2. Heat the milk with 125 g of sugar and pour over the nuts. The amount of milk depends on the dryness of the nuts. In the lukewarm mixture, add the melted chocolate, orange crust and orange juice. Allow the chocolate filling to cool.
3. Whisk the butter with the mixer and combine with the cooked cooled egg yolks and chocolate filling, whisking with the mixer for about 1 minute to make the filling airy and light.
4. Apply the filling evenly only above the biscuit, not on sides and put in a fridge to cool well.

White cream:

• 4 egg whites
• 250 g sugar
• 150 - 200 ml of water

Preparation of the cream:

1. Boil sugar with water for about 20 minutes or until it thickens and begins to have a honey consistency.
2. Whisk the egg whites with a mixer, then gradually add the boiled sugar and water to the egg whites and continue to mix for about 5 minutes.
3. Apply the white cream over the cake and again put to fridge for several hours.

You can decorate the cake with chocolate or candied fruit. You can replace the the white cream with whipped cream.