Cake with Jam and Meringue (Slava Cake)

 Ingredients: for a tray of 30 cm*40 cm (mine is 37 cm * 33 cm so the area is about the same 1200-1221 square cm) For the dough: 3 egg yolks, 150 g butter, 70 g granulated sugar, 300 g flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 400-600 g cherry jam (sour cherries, berries, blackberries, plums, apples, oranges - no orange peels, but also pastry cream or lemon curd or orange curd) For the meringue: 3 egg whites, 100 g sugar, powdered sugar for decoration

To prepare a delicious and fluffy cake, we start by mixing the egg yolks with sugar and soft butter using a mixer until we achieve a smooth and creamy mixture. It is essential that the butter is at room temperature to incorporate perfectly. Once we have a fine cream, we gradually add the flour in which we previously mixed the baking powder. It is important to mix them well so that the dough becomes elastic and uniform.

Once we have a smooth dough, we roll it out into a thin sheet between two sheets of baking paper, having the size of the tray we will use. This method prevents the dough from sticking to the rolling pin and minimizes the risk of tearing it, considering it is quite delicate. The rolled-out dough will be placed in the tray with the baking paper underneath, and we carefully remove the top sheet.

On top of the dough in the tray, we spread a thin layer of jam. I recommend a slightly sour jam to balance the sweetness of the cake. I used a 400-gram jar, plus half a jar, reaching about 600 grams of jam. Everyone can adjust the amount according to their preferences.

Next, we beat the egg whites with sugar until we obtain a fluffy meringue. It can be slightly softer, so we add it with a spoon over the jam in the tray, being careful to level it evenly so that it covers the entire surface.

We place the tray in the preheated oven at 200°C and bake the cake for 20-25 minutes. It is important to monitor the cake, as the baking time may vary depending on the oven. The meringue should color slightly, but we must be careful not to burn it.

After the cake is baked, we let it cool completely. The meringue may slightly deflate after we take it out of the oven, but this does not affect the final texture at all. Once the cake has cooled, we can cut it into squares or diamonds. One last detail: dust the cake with powdered sugar either before or after cutting, depending on your preferences.

It is a very tender and sweet cake, and the sour jam adds a pleasant contrast. It keeps well, cut into slices and stacked on top of each other in a tin box, and if you manage to keep it, it will remain delicious for a few days. However, considering its taste, it is unlikely to last long!

 Tags:  unt flour sugar fruits apples cherries oranges christmas and new year's recipes sour cherries plum cookies vegetarian recipes recipes for children