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Queen Maria of Romania was born Princess of Edinburgh to Queen Victoria's son Alfred and Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, then later married Prince Ferdinand of Romania who eventually became king. She was a popular Monarch and this famous Romanian cake created in her name, will likely be found in any great grandmother's recipe notebook. The ingredients deliver a multitude of layered textures and flavours, with chewy walnuts and oozy buttercream topped with rich chocolate ganache.
Ingredients:
For the Base:
200g roasted chopped walnuts
150g sugar
65g plain flour
9 egg yolks
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
For the Buttercream:
250g unsalted butter room temp
200g sugar
100g milk chocolate
30g cocoa powder
9 egg whites
For the Ganache:
200g dark chocolate
200g double cream
Method:
For the Base:
Preheat oven to 160c fan. Grease and line a 12 x 9” baking tray.
Separate the eggs and put the yolks aside for the mousse. Whisk the egg whites and salt until soft peaks form, then slowly add the sugar and continue beating until mixture is stiff and glossy. Fold the walnuts, flour and baking powder into the egg whites until all is incorporated. Spoon this into the prepared baking tray and using the back of a spoon evenly spread it out. Bake for appx 20 - 22 mins until slightly golden on top. Take out the oven and allow to cool fully.
For the Buttercream:
Place the chocolate, sugar, cocoa powder and egg yolks in a bain marie and heat over a gentle flame whisking until you have a thick smooth mixture. Remove from the heat and allow to cool fully. In a large bowl beat the butter until soft and fluffy, then add the chocolate mixture, again beating until soft and fluffy.
Spread this evenly over the base of the cake. Place in the fridge and allow to set.
For the Ganache:
Heat the cream gently over a small flame, do not let it boil. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a medium sized bowl. Pour the cream over the chocolate. Leave for 5 mins, then gently whisk together until fully combined.
Leave to cool, then spread evenly over the buttercream layer and place back in the fridge to set.
Enjoy.
Gaby Van Clarke
The word ‘healthspan’ has been absorbed into our daily lexicon. It pops up as often as lifespan now as the movement to maximise health progresses. Healthspan is the length of time a person is healthy, not just alive, and was coined by gerontologists in a 1987 Science article. A period of life in which you are healthy and free from chronic disease or disability.