We just got home from a wonderful visit to Europe. One of our pleasures this trip was a leisurely tour of the small country of Slovenia. It’s a land where fairy tales come true. And to prove it, I’m posting a recipe for the heavenly Bled Cream Cake.
Every visitor to Bled has a slice of this famous cake. We had several! Over 12 million cakes, in fact, have been served over the past 60 years at the Park Hotel on Lake Bled.
Across from the Park Hotel high on a stark cliff sits Slovenia’s oldest castle, established in 1050. You can climb up there for a visit after you’ve polished off your cake. It’s a great way to burn up the extra calories. What a dreamy place to enjoy a divine piece of cake!
The famous Bled cream cake is a hit with the birds, too
The original Bled cream cake
Makes 10 slices
- 1 pound puff pastry
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 3 egg yolks
- 4 tablespoons fine sugar (caster)
- 1/4 cup plain flour
- 1 egg white
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon rum
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and leave it, still wrapped, at room temperature for 20 minutes. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to an oblong 12 x 15 inches. Trim the pastry edges neatly, then prick all over with a fork. Cut into two rectangles, each one 6 x 15 inches.
2. Place the pastry on a large baking sheet lined with baking paper and mark one rectangle into ten 3 inch squares, carefully cutting no more than halfway through the pastry. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
3. While the pastry is chilling, start making the pastry cream. Put the milk and lemon zest in a small heavy pan and slowly bring to the boil. Whisk the egg yolks and 1 tablespoon fine sugar in a bowl until thick and pale. Sift the flour and stir in.
4. Pass the milk through a strainer to remove the lemon zest. Whisk the hot milk into the egg and flour mixture. Pour back into the pan. Thicken the custard by stirring over a low heat. Pour into a bowl, then cover. Leave until just cool, but not firmly set.
5. Whisk the egg white until stiff and whisk in the remaining caster sugar. Whip 2/3 cup of the cream until thick. Stir the rum into the custard. Gently fold the egg white mixture into the custard, followed by the whipped cream. Cover with wax paper and chill for 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Dampen the baking sheets around the pastry with cold water. Bake for 25 minutes, until nicely golden and light. Cool.
7. Pour 1 1/4 cups cream into a chilled bowl. Add the vanilla extract and sift over 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar. Whip the remaining cream.
8. Place the unmarked pastry sheet on a board and spread with the pastry cream, then the whipped cream. Put the marked pastry sheet on top. Dust with icing sugar. Slice along the marked lines with a sharp knife and serve.
Nutrition
Per serving: 435 calories. Protein 5.8 grams. Fat: 37.4 grams (14.3 saturated). Carbohydrate 26.8 grams (8.1 from sugar).
When I make this dessert, I use coconut palm sugar instead of ordinary granulated sugar. Check my post here for reasons.
Cook Up a Story 
Aug 02, 2016 @ 17:37:14
Reblogged this on Recipe Dreams.