MATEA'S WALNUT MERINGUE CAKE

CAPTURED BY

THE RECIPE HUNTERS

IN CROATIA

Matea comes from the island of Brač, which is famous for it's Dol Cake. The cake is named so because the layers of nuts are supposed to resemble the stony mountainside of the Village of Dol. Matea created her own version of the traditional recipe and dubbed it the Walnut Meringue Cake. The crunchiness of the sugar-roasted walnuts floating in the cloud of meringue are a perfect contrast to the soft dense bed of almond cake...incredible! This is a third helpings kind of cake. Try Matea's creative recipe yourself and share it with your friends and family.

Matea's Walnut Meringue Cake Ingredients

10 Tbsp Flour
12 Eggs
2 Tbsp Grounded Almonds
650 grams Sugar
1 packet of Vanilla Sugar

1.5 Lemons
4 Tbsp of water
2 tsp baking powder
700 grams Walnuts
1 Seed Nutmeg

Matea's Walnut Mergingue Cake Recipe

Preheat oven to 180° C (350° F)
Crack 4 whole eggs and 8 egg yolks only into a large mixing bowl. Save the 8 egg whites for later.
Add 150 g (12 tablespoons) of sugar, vanilla sugar, and a zest from a whole lemon into the eggs and mix until the sugar and eggs form a homogenous mixture.
Add the flour, almonds, water and baking powder. Mix on medium until you have a homogenous mixture *If you want to replace some tablespoons of flour with tablespoons of ground almonds you can try that here, but be careful not to replace too many or your cake layer may not stick together!)
Once fully combined and homogenous throughout, take a circular buttered pan and pour in the mixture, making sure to get every last drop by using a pastry spatula.
Take both hands and hold onto the pan as you tap the bottom of the pan on the table. This allows for all the air bubbles to rise to the top of the cake layer.
Place the cake in the oven for 20 minutes or until you can stick a tooth pick in the center without any dough sticking to it.
While first layer of the cake is baking, whip the egg whites in a large mixing bowl, slowly adding the juice from one lemon to the egg whites.
Grind about a tsp of fresh nutmeg and place to the side
In a large pot on the stove combine the walnuts, 500 g of sugar, and the juice from half of a lemon on medium heat. Squeeze in another half lemon of juice and mix constantly and thoroughly with a wooden spoon *You really need to use your muscles while mixing to make sure that the sugar dissolves and the walnuts to not burn.
As you stir, add the nutmeg and the whipped egg whites.
At the point when the sugar dissolves remove from heat. If you do not remove from heat, the substance will caramelize.
Lower the oven to 100 degrees celcius
Pour the walnut mix on top of the first layer of cake in the circular baking pan. Spread out evenly using a spatula or spoon and lightly press the walnuts down so that the second layer lies evenly.
Bake until the walnut layer is dry and then shut off the oven as you allow the cake to dry out.
After the cake cools, you can serve it or store it in the fridge to serve the next day