This summer my mom gave me a cookbook (I love cookbooks, specially if has a story too), a collection of recipes written down by maids in the late 1800 early 1900. In Transylvania, before getting married, village girls went to be maid at rich houses in the city. Here they learned how to manage a household, some sewing, cooking, baking; they ended up in socially, financially, or both, better marriages.
This recipe is from 1913. The cake is fantastic. Light, sweet but not to sweet and with a drop of Frangelico is just perfect. The recipe asks for whipped cream on top, but we found the cake rich enough without it. Definitely is a winner, definitely I will make it again. The fact that is very easy to make it, is a bonus.
Hungarian: 8 tojas kemeny habjat, 25 deka cukrot, 25 deka daralt diot, 25 deka datolyat keves citrommal es 1 citrom levevel osszekeverunk, megsutjuk es ha kisult egy kis rummal leontjuk. Tejszinhabbal feladjuk.
English: 8 egg whites; 250g sugar; 250 g walnuts; 250 g pitted dates; juice from a lemon;
In a food processor mix and grind the sugar, walnut, dates. Do not put all the above ingredients at once in the food processor, I started with 1/3 of the walnuts, next 1/3 of the dates and a part of the sugar and repeated till all was mixed and grind it.
Beat the eggwhites till turning the bowl upside down will not fall out. Now mix the date/walnuts/sugar
in the egg white very carefully, using a small amount at once. Place in a baking pan and bake it at 370 F for 15 minutes and continue at 350 F for 20 more minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the cake will come out clean.
1 comment:
What is the name of the cookbook? My Hungarian grandmother spoke of being a maid to a Jewish family in the same area.
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