Albă ca Zăpada, Romanian lemon layer cake

Name: Albă ca Zăpada, Romanian lemon layer cake
Ingredients: 2 eggs; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 12 tablespoons sugar; 1 packet vanilla sugar; 1 teaspoon lemon zest; 12 tablespoons oil; 12 tablespoons milk; 1 level teaspoon baker’s ammonia; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 600 g flour; 500 ml milk; 3 tablespoons flour; 2 tablespoons starch; 8 tablespoons sugar; zest of 1/2 lemon; juice of 1 lemon; 2 packets vanilla sugar; 200 g butter; 200 g white chocolate; 6 tablespoons whipping cream

Dessert - Albă ca Zăpada, Romanian lemon layer cake by Marinela C. - Recipia

Albă ca Zăpada is a Romanian lemon layer cake made with baker’s ammonia activated with lemon juice, which goes into the thin layers that soften after a day in the fridge. A cooked cream of milk, butter and lemon sits between the layers, and white chocolate covers them with a smooth glaze. I cut it into narrow rectangles so the layers stay on show. Preparation: 35 minutes. Cooking: 48 minutes. Resting: 13 hours and 30 minutes. Total time: 14 hours and 53 minutes. Servings: 12. Approximately 680 kcal and 10 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

For the layers

2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
12 tablespoons oil
12 tablespoons milk
1 level teaspoon baker’s ammonia
1 tablespoon lemon juice
600 g flour

For the cream

500 ml milk
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons starch
8 tablespoons sugar
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
2 packets vanilla sugar
200 g butter

For the glaze

200 g white chocolate
6 tablespoons whipping cream

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Beat the eggs with the salt, sugar, vanilla sugar and lemon zest for 2-3 minutes, until creamy. 2. Pour in the oil in a thin stream, whisking as you go. Add the milk at room temperature and the baker’s ammonia dissolved in the lemon juice, then gradually mix in the flour. 3. When the dough thickens, turn it out onto a floured work surface and knead until soft, no longer sticky and easy to roll out. Divide it into 4 equal pieces. 4. Roll each piece into a thin sheet on the underside of the baking tray, then prick it here and there with a fork. Bake the sheets one at a time for 8 minutes each, until the edges are lightly golden. 5. Mix the flour for the cream with the starch, sugar and lemon zest. Heat the milk over medium heat for 5 minutes, until it reaches boiling point, then pour it in a thin stream over the dry mixture, whisking vigorously. 6. Set the cream over low heat and stir continuously for 8 minutes, until thickened. Take it off the heat, add the lemon juice and vanilla sugar, and stir until smooth. 7. Leave the cream to cool to room temperature, about 60 minutes. Beat it for a few seconds, then add the softened butter one tablespoon at a time and beat until fluffy. 8. Layer a sheet, cream, a sheet, cream, finishing with a sheet. Cover the cake with cling film and chill for 12 hours, until the layers soften. 9. Melt the white chocolate with 5 tablespoons of whipping cream over low heat for 3 minutes. Keep the sixth tablespoon of cream aside in case the glaze is too thick. Spread it over the cake and chill for 30 minutes, until set.

Notes

A slice goes well with unsweetened coffee. Zest the lemon only down to the yellow layer; the white part can taste bitter. For the glaze, choose white chocolate made with cocoa butter, not one made with vegetable fats, which behaves differently when melted. If it sets while you’re spreading it, warm it briefly over low heat. The baked layers can be kept covered until the next day, before assembling. Keep the cake covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; it contains gluten, dairy and eggs.