Croatian Walnut Cake from Dol | Torta Hrapoćuša
This walnut cake comes from a tiny village on the island of Brač on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. The Hrapoćuša cake was created by the women of the village to resemble the local stone their homes are built from. So important to the local culture, the Croatian Ministry of Culture has deemed this a protected food.
Ingredients
First Layer
- 4 whole eggs
- 7 egg yolks
- 260 g granulated sugar 1 ⅓ cups
- zest of 1 lemon
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp maraschino liqueur optional (can swap in rum or leave the alcohol out altogether)
- 190 g all-purpose flour 1 ½ cups
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 75 g ground walnuts ¾ cup
Walnut Layer
- 7 egg whites
- 450 g granulated sugar 2 ¼ cups
- 625 g raw walnut halves 5 ¼ cups
- juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Combine the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, lemon & orange zests, vanilla, and maraschino, in a large bowl or stand mixer. Beat on high speed for 5-7 minutes or until doubled in volume and frothy. Do not allow it to get to the ribbon stage. Stop beating when it is voluminous but does not yet pour in "ribbons" like in cakes such as pan di spagna.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and ground walnuts. Sieve this a little at a time over the egg mixture and gently fold it in, taking care not to deflate the eggs.
- Once the flour is fully incorporated into the batter, pour it into a parchment-lined 9 inch or 23 cm springform pan.
- Bake in a 350℉ / 180℃ pre-heated oven for 35 minutes, until it is golden and mostly set in the middle.
- Twenty minutes into the cake baking, prepare your walnut topping.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the egg whites and sugar until well-incorporated. Then stir in the walnut halves.
- Stir continuously so the sugar doesn't burn. It should take about 10-15 minutes for the mixture to become thick and golden. At that stage, add the lemon juice. Stir over the heat for another 5-7 minutes until the mixture thickens back up.
- After the cake has baked for 35 minutes, gently spoon the mixture onto the cake. Start by adding the nuts around the edges because the middle may be a tad bit wobbly since it hasn't finished baking. Arrange the walnut mixture over the whole cake, gently patting down to make the top even and flat.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 320℉ / 160℃ and put the cake back in the oven to bake for another 30 minutes.
- When it's finished baking, let it fully cool in the cake pan before removing it. Once cool, run a knife around the perimeter of the cake to release any stuck walnuts. Place the cake on your serving platter and slice to enjoy!