Chinezoaică, Romanian cake with egg-yolk icing

Name: Chinezoaică, Romanian cake with egg-yolk icing
Ingredients: 125 g butter at room temperature; 100 g powdered sugar; 100 g flour; 100 g ground walnuts; 8 g cocoa; 10 g baking powder; 3 egg whites; 1 g salt; 3 egg yolks; 100 g powdered sugar; 20 g milk chocolate

Dessert - Chinezoaică, Romanian cake with egg-yolk icing by Dida H. - Recipia

Chinezoaică is a Romanian cake with a cocoa and walnut base, topped with an egg-yolk icing that sets in the oven. Serve it cold, cut carefully; this is my first time making it, though I’d tasted it before, and I find it a little too sweet, even though it’s my boyfriend’s favourite. I use finely ground walnuts so there aren’t big pieces in the base. Preparation: 20 minutes. Cooking: 37 minutes. Resting: 60 minutes. Total time: 117 minutes. Servings: 8. Approximately 375 kcal and 6 g of protein per serving.

Ingredients

For the base

125 g butter at room temperature
100 g powdered sugar
100 g flour
100 g ground walnuts
8 g cocoa
10 g baking powder
3 egg whites
1 g salt

For the icing

3 egg yolks
100 g powdered sugar

For the topping

20 g milk chocolate

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 180°C. Beat the room-temperature butter with 100 g powdered sugar until creamy. 2. Mix the flour with the ground walnuts, cocoa and baking powder. Gradually add the mixture to the butter and beat until combined. 3. Beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff. Fold them into the butter mixture with a wooden spoon. 4. Pour the mixture into a 22 cm round pan lined with baking paper. Bake for 25 minutes, until the surface is set but the base is still soft in the centre. 5. While the base is in the oven, beat the egg yolks with 100 g powdered sugar until doubled in volume. 6. Take out the pan, spread the icing evenly over the base and return it to the oven for 12 minutes, until the icing sets. 7. Leave the cake to cool completely, about 60 minutes. Sprinkle the grated milk chocolate over the top. 8. Slice with a very sharp knife dipped in warm water.

Notes

Keep it covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; take it out a little before serving so it isn’t too cold. If you’re serving it for dinner, bake it earlier that day so it has time to cool before slicing. Serve the slices with black coffee or tea, since the icing is sweet. For a change, you can use 100 g ground hazelnuts instead of walnuts, but the flavour of the base will be different. The cake contains gluten, walnuts, dairy and eggs. I taste a walnut before grinding it, because a bitter kernel comes through in the whole base. Egg whites are easier to beat in a clean, dry bowl with no traces of grease. If you use a pan wider than the 22 cm round one, the base will be thinner and may bake faster.