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Prekmurska gibanica
Prekmurska gibanica: Slovenian layered cake of poppy seed, curd cheese, walnut and apple
Prekmurje, the flat north-eastern corner of Slovenia on the Mura river near the Hungarian border, built this towering cake for weddings and harvest feasts, and it is now protected as a traditional speciality. On a shortcrust base sit eight thin layers, four fillings repeated twice: poppy seed, curd cheese, walnut and apple, each separated by thin pastry and soaked with sour cream and melted butter, so every slice shows neat stripes of grey, white, brown and gold. Serve it warm or the next day with coffee; it keeps for 3 days in the fridge and freezes well. Curd cheese (skuta or quark) is usually rennet-free, but check the label. Going heavy on the fillings is the classic trap: each layer should be about 1 cm, or the cake won't bake through and the stripes blur. Chef's tip: make all four fillings the evening before, and assembly the next day takes just 20 minutes.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the base
- 7 oz plain flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 ½ oz cold butterdiced
- 3 ½ tbsp cold water
For the fillings
- 7 oz caster sugardivided
- 5 ½ oz ground poppy seeds
- 5 ½ oz ground walnuts
- 1 ⅛ lb curd cheese (skuta or quark)
- 2 eggsdivided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ lb tart applespeeled
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
For layering
- 9 oz filo pastryabout 9 sheets
- 10 ½ oz sour cream
- 4 oz buttermelted
- 1 tbsp icing sugar for dusting (optional)
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Rub the 3 ½ oz cold butter into the 7 oz plain flour and 1 pinch salt until like breadcrumbs, then add the 3 ½ tbsp cold water and bring into a dough. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
10 minStep 2: Mix the 5 ½ oz ground poppy seeds with a quarter of the 1 ¾ oz caster sugar in one bowl, and the 5 ½ oz ground walnuts with another quarter of the 1 ¾ oz caster sugar in a second bowl.
3 minStep 3: Beat the 1 ⅛ lb curd cheese (skuta or quark) with one of the 1 eggs, a further portion of the 2 ⅛ oz caster sugar, the 1 tsp vanilla extract and the zest of the 1 unwaxed lemon, zest only until smooth.
3 minStep 4: Coarsely grate the 1 ¾ lb tart apples, squeeze out the juice with your hands and mix with the rest of the 1 ⅜ oz caster sugar and the 1 tsp ground cinnamon.
8 minStep 5: Whisk the 10 ½ oz sour cream with the remaining 1 eggs for the soaking cream.
2 minStep 6: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and butter a deep 23 × 30 cm tin with a little of the ⅜ oz butter. Roll the base dough to 3 mm, lay it on the bottom of the tin, prick all over and bake for 10 minutes, until set and pale.
15 minStep 7: Lay a sheet of 9 oz filo pastry over the base, brush with butter and drizzle with a little soaking cream. Spread with half the poppy filling. Repeat filo, butter and cream before each layer: half the curd cheese, then half the walnut, then half the apple.
10 minStep 8: Repeat the four layers in the same order with the rest of the fillings. Finish with a final filo sheet, brush with the rest of the 3 ¾ oz butter and pour over the remaining cream.
10 minStep 9: Bake for 60 minutes, until deep golden and bubbling at the edges and a skewer comes out free of wet cheese. Cover with foil after 40 minutes if the top is browning fast.
60 minStep 10: Cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes, then cut into squares and dust with 1 tbsp icing sugar for dusting.
30 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does prekmurska gibanica take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 90 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of cold butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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