Straight from beautiful Lake Bled comes this beautiful cream cake, as soft as it looks with two crusts to add a bit of texture to each bite.
“Traditional Bled Cream Cake is comparable to a little piece of heaven, like the Julian Alpine Lake Bled, where it gets its name from. I am glad to find any excuse to enjoy this mouth-watering, yet fluffy and light desert. A must try when visiting Slovenia, but in these pandemic times when travel is limited โ try making one on your own. Dober tek!”
- ANITA STANKOVIC PAVLIC, CHARGE DโAFFAIRES OF THE EMBASSY OF SLOVENIA
๐ธ๐ฎ Slovenia: Bled Cream Cake
Ingredients
Crust
- 0.5 package Puff pastry
- 0.25 Cup Melted butter
Custard
- 4 โ Cup Whole milk
- 2 Tbsp Flour
- โ Cup Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract of 1 vanilla bean scraped
Whipped Cream
- 2 Cups Heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp Sugar
- Powdered sugar (for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F
Bottom Crust
- Place three sheets of dough in a buttered 9ร13 baking casserole dish. Brush top of puff pastry with melted butter (this will be your bottom crust). Place another three sheets of the dough on top and brush with butter. Trim to fit, then use a sharp knife to cut into nine equal pieces.
Top Crust
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lay down three sheets of puff dough. Brush with butter (this will be your top crust). Cut into ten matching pieces (it is best to place these top crusts on after assembly). Bake both crusts in the oven 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Custard
- Ensure egg whites are free from any trace of yolks and ideally at room temperature. Use a clean metal bowl free of fat or soap residue. Use an electric mixer to beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. If stiff peaks do not form, repeat with fresh egg whites and clean bowl. Pour all milk except 1/3 cup(4 cups total) into medium-sized pot. Heat milk until just before it boils.Make flour slurry: In a small bowl use a fork to stir together flour and reserved 1/3 cup of milk. Side aside.
- In another small bowl stir together egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, and vanilla bean paste. Set aside. When the milk starts to boil remove from heat, vigorously whisk in flour slurry to prevent clumping. Temper the eggs: scoop out 1 cup of the hot milk mixture and very slowly drizzle milk into the egg mixture while vigorously whisking. This prevents the eggs from scrambling by gently warming them. Once tempered add the egg mixture to hot milk in the pan while whisking. Cook on low heat whisking frequently until it begins to set. Add egg whites one scoop at a time and stir in completely before adding another scoop. Once all is mixed in, cook for 7-11 minutes, stirring frequently. The mixture should be quite thick
Whipped Cream
- Add heavy cream and two tablespoons of sugar to stand mixer and whisk to stiff.
Assembly
- Pour warm custard overcooked bottom crust and refrigerate 1-2 hours. Top custard with whipped cream and place the cooked top crusts on the cake. Refrigerate the cake for 3-4 hours, then slice and serve.