Nut bark, popular Polish cake with lots going on inside

No matter what’s your taste preferences, one thing you cannot say about this cake is that it is boring. There is so much different stuff in it, that you kind of worry how it will turn out, with all these things put together into one cake. But there is no need to worry, let me assure you, this cake is as good as it gets, interesting, intriguing, not too sweet, with peaches, jaffa cakes, nuts and vanilla cream all covered by jelly. This cake is a party for your taste buds and it’s also visually enticing. In Poland it often accompanies family gatherings and celebrations like birthdays or first communions. It requires a bit of time, and it’s not the cheapest one, but don’t get discouraged by this, and by lengthy recipe, there is a wow factor at the end which makes it all worth it 🙂

Ingredients:

8 egg whites (put 5 yolks aside for the cream)

200 g of caster sugar

3 yolks

200 of g of ground walnuts or hazelnuts, or both

3 spoons of flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

100 g of raisins

100 g of desiccated coconut

Peach cream

Juice from 2 x 400 g tins of peaches

5 spoons of sugar

300 ml of water

5 egg yolks

1 spoon of flour

300 g of butter

2 sachets of custard powder ( standard size approx. 75g of powder per 450 ml of water)

You will also need:

2 packs of jaffa cakes

2 sachets of orange or peach jelly powder ( again standard size sachet dissolvable in approx. 500 ml of water )

1/4 glass of coffee and 1/4 glass of spirit (optional) to soak jaffa cakes in.

Method:

Cake:

Mix together all dry ingredients: coconut, nuts, raisins, flour with baking powder and put it aside. Separate eggs whites from yolks and beat the whites until set and stiff, still beating, add sugar in couple of portions, then egg yolks. Next add all dry ingredients to your batter and mix them in delicately, using spatula.

Split your nutty batter in half and pour it into greased and lined 2 tin cakes (roughly 25 x 35 cm), or do 1 at the time if you just have 1 tin. Bake in 160ºC for 35 minutes until crisp and crunchy. Leave one in the tin for the base.

Peach cream:

Bring peach juice to the boil, add 5 spoons of sugar and 3/4 glass of water (you should have approx. 400 ml of peach juice from 2 tins, if you have less, just add more water).

Mix your custards with 1 spoon of flour and dissolve it in 3/4 glass of water, then mix it with remaining 5 egg yolks and pour it into your boiling peach juice. Let it boil a little bit longer and stir continuously, then turn off and allow to cool off completely.

Dissolve your 2 sachets of jelly in 750 ml of water ( so approx. 250 ml less than it says on the instruction), cool off and wait for them to start setting.

Lightly beat the butter for around 3 minutes until soft and fluffy and still beating, start adding in your cool custard, portion by portion.

Spread half of the cream on bottom cake layer in the tin. Soak the bottom, spongy part of jaffa cakes in coffee and spirit and place them in rows on top of the cream (chocolate part down).

Put a few spoons of the second half of the cream aside, and spread the rest on top of your jaffa cakes layer. Now cover it with second cake layer and spread the remaining spoons of cream on top of it. Place slices of peaches on it and pour jelly over it ( it needs to be still setting, but not too stiff or liquidish, if you want jelly to set quicker, put it in the fridge).

This is it really, now sit back, relax and enjoy your cake!!!