Hungarian Gala Palacsinta Cake
- Ready In:
- 1hr 5mins
- Ingredients:
- 20
- Serves:
-
8
ingredients
-
palacsinta batter
- 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar, added to flour
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
- 6 eggs
- 1 1⁄2 cups milk
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 1⁄2 cups soda water (about)
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
-
filling 1
- 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, grated
- 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (4 ounces)
- 1⁄2 cup sifted vanilla confectioners' sugar
-
filling 2
- 1⁄2 cup apricot jam
- 1 -2 tablespoon brandy or 1 -2 tablespoon water
-
filling 3
- 1 cup pot cheese or 1 cup small curd cottage cheese
- 1 egg, separated
- 4 tablespoons sifted vanilla confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon rind
- 2 tablespoons golden seedless raisins
-
topping
- 3 egg whites
- 1⁄2 cup vanilla sugar
directions
- FOR THE BATTER: Mix the flour and salt and one tablespoon sugar together in a big bowl.
- Work in the eggs, one at a time, then very gradually add the milk, beating well as you go along.
- Beat in the melted butter and strain the batter to remove any large lumps.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Just before using, shake or stir the batter and pour in as much soda water as needed to make a thin batter, the consistency of light cream.
- Make each palacsinta separately: heat a 6 1/2 inch crepe pan or a small frying pan with sloping sides until very hot, then brush with cooking oil.
- When it starts to smoke, remove from the heat and pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter into the pan (work with a ladle the right size, if possible).
- Quickly turn the pan around so the batter flows to the sides, thinly coating the entire bottom.
- A palacsinta is supposed to be very thin, as thin as it can be without getting lacy.
- Pour any excess batter back into the bowl.
- Put the pan back on the heat for about a minute, then give it a couple of good jerks to loosen the palacsinta, then flip it if you can or turn it over by hand, using a spatula to lift it up out of the pan first.
- Cook briefly on the second side and slide it into a warm dish or pie plate.
- Continue making palacsinta until you have at least three per person.
- Keep the palacsinta warm on the back of the stove or in the warming oven, or make them several hours in advance and warm them up later.
- The palacsinta batter may also be made in a blender: put the milk, eggs, salt, flour and melted butter in the jar, in that order.
- Blend at top speed for about 1 minute, then scrape down the sides of the jar and blend another few seconds.
- Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight; just before making the palacsinta, shake or stir the batter and ADD the SODA water.
- Make the palacsinta and set them aside while preparing the fillings in separate dishes.
- Filling 1: Mix the grated chocolate with the chopped walnuts and confectioners’ sugar.
- Set it aside.
- Filling 2: Thin the jam with brandy or water, and mash up any large pieces of fruit.
- Put that to one side.
- Filling 3: Strain the pot cheese and force it through a potato ricer.
- Mix it well with the egg yolk, confectioners’ sugar, and lemon rind, and stir in the raisins.
- Beat the egg white until stiff, then fold it into the pot cheese mixture.
- To form the rakott palacsinta, lightly butter an 8-inch springform pan and place a palacsinta on the bottom.
- Spread it with some nut and chocolate filling (number 1), and cover with a second palacsinta.
- Spread that with a thin layer of apricot jam (number 2), and cover it with another palacsinta.
- Spread it with the pot cheese filling (number 3), and cover with a fourth palacsinta.
- REPEAT and continue the layering process until you reach the top of the pan; end with a palacsinta.
- Three quarters of an hour before serving, preheat the oven to 300 F.
- and beat the egg whites with the sugar until stiff and shiny.
- Pile the meringue on the top palacsinta and place the pan in the oven to bake for 30 minutes or more, or until the meringue is lightly browned (“pink”).
- Remove the sides of the pan and transfer the rakott palacsinta to a platter.
- Serve hot, cut in wedges like a cake.
- The Hungarian Cookbook.
- Susan Derecskey.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Olha7397
Canada