Without exaggeration – this is one of those cakes that takes your breath away. First with its appearance, and then with its taste. Made up of many fine, thin layers that smell of walnuts and oranges, it is extremely juicy thanks to the rich chocolate-caramel cream and an abundance of walnuts. It is ideal for special occasions, when you want to delight your loved ones.
The crust is made according to the recipe for the Colorful Orange Pie. Although it seems demanding, the process is actually simple – the key is to be careful while baking. The crust is very thin and can easily burn if left in the oven for just a minute longer. With that caution, everything else is pretty easy.
Eliza cake can be prepared two to three days in advance. It becomes even juicier over time – the crust blends with the cream and becomes wonderfully soft.
Eliza's Pie
Ingredients
Cover:
• 480 g of flour
• 100 g ground walnuts
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 150 g masti
• 150 g of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons (60 g) honey
• 5 tablespoons of milk
Cream:
• 800 ml whole milk (3,2% fat)
• 250 g of sugar
• 2 sachets (2 × 40 g) of chocolate pudding powder (or caramel)
• 350 g ground walnuts
• 250 g butter
Frosting:
• 200 ml of sweet cream
• 200 g chocolate
Preparation
Covers
In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients: eggs, fat, honey, sugar and grated orange zest. Gradually add the ground walnuts and flour mixed with baking soda. Knead a soft dough that is oily and pleasant to work with.
Immediately divide the dough into eight equal parts. Roll out each ball with a rolling pin on baking paper. Place a 24 cm diameter cake ring over the dough and trace a circle. Save the excess dough. Roll out the remaining dough in the same way. Use the excess to form two more crusts, making a total of ten crusts.
Transfer the rolled out dough, along with the paper, to the back of the baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees, for a maximum of 5 minutes. The crusts burn very easily, so it is recommended to first roll them all out on the paper, and then bake them one by one, with constant supervision.
The baked crusts are brittle and delicate. Arrange them one on top of the other and leave to cool completely while you prepare the cream.
Cream
Pour the sugar into a saucepan and place over low heat to melt and caramelize, taking care not to burn. Dissolve the pudding powder in 200 ml of cold milk. Heat the remaining 600 ml of milk to boiling point.
When the sugar has turned a nice brown color, carefully pour in the hot milk (the mixture will splatter) and stir continuously until the caramel is completely dissolved. Then add the whipped pudding and, stirring constantly, cook until the cream thickens.
Remove from heat and immediately add the butter, cut into cubes. Stir until completely melted, then add the ground walnuts and mix well.
Filling
Place the first layer on a serving plate and attach a cake ring around it. Spread the warm cream (about two ladles) over the layer, smooth it out and cover with the next layer. Repeat the process until all the layers and cream are used.
The last layer is not frosted, but is just lightly pressed with your hands. The cake is then left to cool.
While the cake is cooling, prepare the ganache: heat the heavy cream and chocolate, taking care not to boil. Immediately pour half of the ganache over the cake while it is still in the ring. Cool the rest of the ganache well, then blend. Remove the ring and decorate the cake with the whipped ganache and chocolate flakes.
Bonus video:
