19 Honey and Custard Layer Cake (Królewicz)

When I think Polska, I think cakes. Since I can remember, I’m used to seeing my Mum baking stunning cakes for every occasion, or even no occasion at all. Multiple-layer cakes, biscuits, sponges, every day casual cakes – there was no end to the variety.

Królewicz, which literally translates as “the prince” is one of my favourite cakes. I never dared to try baking it – until I moved out from Poland and it has suddenly become impossible to have it without baking it myself.
To be honest – it was easier than I expected.

INGREDIENTS:

For the honey dough:
3 cups  flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
150g butter
1 egg
3 tbsp running honey

For the sponge:
4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup good quality wheat flour
1 tsp potato flour (starch)

For the cream:
0,5l milk
200g butter (unsalted)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar
2 tbsp potato flour (starch)
1 tbsp wheat flour

For the chocolate glaze:
100g butter
50g dark cocoa powder
120g icing sugar
2 tbsp milk

For decoration: 
100g walnuts (halves)

HOW TO MAKE?

1. Prepare the honey dough. Place all the ingredients on a pastry board and chop with a knife. Knead a smooth dough. Line two same-sized baking tins with baking parchment (it’s best to use a rectangular baking tin 35cmx24cm, but I used a round one). Divide the honey dough into two even parts and bake two cakes. Bake in a preheated oven, for about 11-13min, temperature 180 degrees.

2. Prepare the sponge. Separate yolks from egg whites. Beat the egg whites until the foam is quite stiff. Still beating them, gradually add sugar (not all at once!). In the end, add one yolk at a time. Mix the flours with baking powder. Sieve them into the beaten eggs with sugar and mix gently. Bake in the same tin as the honey cakes, lined with baking parchment. Spoon the sponge batter into the tin and bake in the preheated oven for about 25-30min in 180 degrees.

3. Prepare the cream. Put aside 3/4 cup of the milk from the amount needed for the cream. Boil what’s left in a small saucepan, adding sugar and vanilla sugar. Stir the milk often, otherwise the sugar will burn. Mix the wheat and potato flour with the (cold) milk you saved before. Stir it into the boiling milk (you can use a small sieve while pouring, to prevent any lumps). What I do, is to take the saucepan with the boiling milk off the heat and pour the mix of flour and milk very slowly, while mixing it with a hand whisk. That way, the cream comes out silky smooth. Still mixing, add the butter and mix thoroughly.

4. Use tin foil to prepare the tin for putting the cake together. First, put one of the honey cakes in the tin. Pour half of the hot cream on the cake (make sure the cream is hot when pouring it; the honey cakes will be quite hard after baking, pouring hot cream on it will help soften it). Cover it with the sponge cake. Pour second half of the cream on the sponge cake and cover it with the second honey cake.

5. Prepare the chocolate glaze. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. When completely melted, add cocoa powder, icing sugar and milk. Stir thoroughly (you might want to use a whisk) but don’t let it boil. Spread the glaze on top of the cake and decorate it with walnuts. I also used white icing to add an extra contrast, but I’ll leave it to your own creativity.

6. Place the cake in the fridge for at least a couple of hours to let the cream set. I usually serve the cake after at least 12 hours, tastes best the next day I think. The honey cakes on the bottom and top of the cake will soften then, and the cream will set properly.

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Smacznego!
aho