It is pink and boozy… a very Hungarian celebration cake... for my Valentine. Adapted from a Rákóczi János recipe from Konyhaművészet. Make this as boozy as you like, just add more liqueur and less water to the soaking syrup. Mine has a lovely mild citrus/rum flavour. It is traditional to cover Hungarian punch cake with soft, pink glace icing.
PUNCH CAKE
Cakes:
9 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups cake flour
9 egg whites
Soaking Syrup:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup rum
1 Tbsp orange rinds
Jam Layers:
1/2 cup sieved apricot jam
Glace Icing:
1-3/4 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup sieved raspberry jam
2 Tbsp lemon
2+ Tbsp soaking syrup
• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• Line the bottoms of two round spring-form cake pans with parchment paper and spray the sides with cooking spray. Set aside.
• Line the bottom of a rectangular cake pan with parchment paper and spray the sides with cooking spray. Set aside.
• Beat the egg yolks and sugar on high speed for 4 minutes.
• Add the flour and fold in to combine.
• In a different bowl and with clean beaters beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
• Gradually very gently fold the beaten egg whites into the yolk and flour mixture.
• Divide the cake batter between the three prepared pans.
• Place the round cake pans on either side of the oven and balance the rectangular cake pan on the top of the two round pans.
• Meanwhile make the soaking syrup.
• Place 2/3 cup of sugar and 1/3 cup of water in a small saucepan.
• Add the orange rinds and bring to the boil.
• Remove from heat and add 1/4 cup of rum.
• Remove the rectangular pan from the oven after 11 minutes. The round cakes should be ready in four more minutes. The centers will spring back when gently tapped. Make sure the cakes are light blond colour; do not over bake.
• Let the cakes cool.
• With a blunt knife cut around the cakes and unhook the spring mechanisms.
• Remove and discard the parchment paper linings from all the cakes.
• Wash and dry the round cake pans. You will use the 2 round bottoms and one of the rings for the next phase.
• Cut the rectangular cake into small cubes and place them in a bowl.
• Pour some of the soaking syrup over the cake cubes, but don’t soak it out of oblivion. I had quite a bit of soaking syrup left in the end. Toss the cake cubes and reserve the remaining soaking syrup for use later.
• Spread the tops of both round cakes with the sieved apricot jam.
• Assemble one of the round cake pans and close up the spring mechanism.
• Lay one of the round cakes inside with the jam on the top.
• Lay the soaked cake cubes on the top.
• Cover with the other round cake, the side spread with jam should be on the bottom.
• Open up the spring mechanism and lay the bottom of the other pan on the top.
• Close up the spring mechanism again.
• Press down on the cake and put the pan in the fridge for 2-3 hours or for overnight.
• Place something heavy on the top.
• Make the fondant only after the cake is thoroughly chilled and the soaked mid section is well compressed.
• Sift the icing sugar into a mid sized bowl and add the sieved raspberry jam.
• Stir in 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice.
• Add 2 Tbsp from the remaining the soaking syrup. Stir to combine.
• Add more soaking syrup if needed. The consistency of the glaze should be spreadable with the willingness to slowly flow over the top to cover the sides of the cake.
• Now take the cake out of the fridge.
• Unhook the spring mechanism and move the cake to a wire rack.
• Place a catch pan under it.
• Spread the top of the cake with the remaining apricot jam.
• Pour the fondant over the cake.
• After the glaze dripped down the sides of the cake, move it to the fridge to solidify. I put it in the freezer to speed up the process.
• Slice only after the glace icing has solidified. It will be good already, but if you wait another day it will be nothing short of amazing.
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups cake flour
9 egg whites
Soaking Syrup:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup rum
1 Tbsp orange rinds
Jam Layers:
1/2 cup sieved apricot jam
Glace Icing:
1-3/4 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup sieved raspberry jam
2 Tbsp lemon
2+ Tbsp soaking syrup
• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• Line the bottoms of two round spring-form cake pans with parchment paper and spray the sides with cooking spray. Set aside.
• Line the bottom of a rectangular cake pan with parchment paper and spray the sides with cooking spray. Set aside.
• Beat the egg yolks and sugar on high speed for 4 minutes.
• Add the flour and fold in to combine.
• In a different bowl and with clean beaters beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
• Gradually very gently fold the beaten egg whites into the yolk and flour mixture.
• Divide the cake batter between the three prepared pans.
• Place the round cake pans on either side of the oven and balance the rectangular cake pan on the top of the two round pans.
• Meanwhile make the soaking syrup.
• Place 2/3 cup of sugar and 1/3 cup of water in a small saucepan.
• Add the orange rinds and bring to the boil.
• Remove from heat and add 1/4 cup of rum.
• Remove the rectangular pan from the oven after 11 minutes. The round cakes should be ready in four more minutes. The centers will spring back when gently tapped. Make sure the cakes are light blond colour; do not over bake.
• Let the cakes cool.
• With a blunt knife cut around the cakes and unhook the spring mechanisms.
• Remove and discard the parchment paper linings from all the cakes.
• Wash and dry the round cake pans. You will use the 2 round bottoms and one of the rings for the next phase.
• Cut the rectangular cake into small cubes and place them in a bowl.
• Pour some of the soaking syrup over the cake cubes, but don’t soak it out of oblivion. I had quite a bit of soaking syrup left in the end. Toss the cake cubes and reserve the remaining soaking syrup for use later.
• Spread the tops of both round cakes with the sieved apricot jam.
• Assemble one of the round cake pans and close up the spring mechanism.
• Lay one of the round cakes inside with the jam on the top.
• Lay the soaked cake cubes on the top.
• Cover with the other round cake, the side spread with jam should be on the bottom.
• Open up the spring mechanism and lay the bottom of the other pan on the top.
• Close up the spring mechanism again.
• Press down on the cake and put the pan in the fridge for 2-3 hours or for overnight.
• Place something heavy on the top.
• Make the fondant only after the cake is thoroughly chilled and the soaked mid section is well compressed.
• Sift the icing sugar into a mid sized bowl and add the sieved raspberry jam.
• Stir in 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice.
• Add 2 Tbsp from the remaining the soaking syrup. Stir to combine.
• Add more soaking syrup if needed. The consistency of the glaze should be spreadable with the willingness to slowly flow over the top to cover the sides of the cake.
• Now take the cake out of the fridge.
• Unhook the spring mechanism and move the cake to a wire rack.
• Place a catch pan under it.
• Spread the top of the cake with the remaining apricot jam.
• Pour the fondant over the cake.
• After the glaze dripped down the sides of the cake, move it to the fridge to solidify. I put it in the freezer to speed up the process.
• Slice only after the glace icing has solidified. It will be good already, but if you wait another day it will be nothing short of amazing.
