Steeped in ancient lore and beautiful old buildings that cradle a rich history, Croatia has a rich culinary heritage. And as luck has it, some of the dessert cakes are derivatives of scandals, runaway princesses, blushing brides, while some are just made by a specialized pastry chef, perhaps after falling in love? At least 25 cakes come out of this country alone, and we picked the ones with some interesting backstory. So, dig in and make sure to try them if you visit Croatia!
Only a handful of Croatian women from Skradin know the original recipe for the Skradinska torta (cake) because whatever recipe is floating about is contested. It is said that the cake was baked by brides-to-be before their wedding night and for a good reason, because the cake uses rose liqueur and ground walnuts making it extremely fragrant. The cake also has a glaze made with dark chocolate and a lot of chopped walnuts are used to garnish the cake; mint and geranium flowers are also used. The cake is also supposed to use, in combination, or some of these ingredients – orange zest, lemon zest, mint, cinnamon and Maraschino (cherry liquor) but these are contested.
The calories in this cake might make you sweat but it's a must-try with its four kinds of fillings, as it's one of the few cakes that is truly ingenious. It's mostly made up of phyllo pastry layers with the filling made of apples, walnuts, cottage cheese and poppy seeds. Each layer is carefully crafted to make a dessert that is enjoyed on its own or after a big meal. Each filling is separated by the phyllo dough layers and the filling also may feature raisins, cinnamon, rum, and sugar.
Perhaps one of the most famous cakes in Croatia, invented during the late 1800s, due to a scandal being attached to it, Rigojanči cake was named after a Hungarian Gypsy violinist who seduced Clara Ward, who was then married to a Belgian Prince de Caraman-Chimay. She was enamoured by Rigó Jancsi’s music and his dark eyes, when Clara and her spouse were visiting this posh Paris restaurant where Rigó used to play. It didn't take long for their torrid love affair to make headlines and Clara ran off with the violinist leaving her Prince and kids behind. This famed dessert also goes by the name Gypsy John and it's a delicious chocolate cake with two layers with a mousse filling that might have a little rum in it. The whole cake is covered in a thick ganache making it even more indulgent and sinful as the affair between the Romani musician and his runaway princess.
Madjarica literally means Hungarian girl and it's hard to tell what might've been the story behind its name, but we can hazard a guess. Perhaps the pastry chef was charmed by a beautiful Hungarian maiden and was inspired to make this cake in her honour. It takes effort to craft the symmetrical layers of the cake that are crumbly with chocolate buttercream holding the layers in place. This cake is present in the most important celebrations in Croatian homes and also during Christmas.
Coming from the Croatian island of Rab, this cake is one of the oldest in the country and was said to have been served to Pope Alexander III in the year 1177. It's recognised by its spiral shape and citrus and nutty flavours along with a hint of the cherry Maraschino liqueur. It's a popular souvenir you can buy from the country and you'll see it a lot at local weddings and baptisms.
Named after the Croatian town of Samobar, this cake is made with twin layers of puff pastry filled with custard and topped with whipped cream that is quivery. The cake is served as cubes with a dusting of powdered sugar. It is said to have been invented by pastry chef Đuro Lukačić, in the 1920s, who had worked in Vienna and Budapest. He modified the recipe of Cremeschnitte to make this cake and locals take great pride in the cake and believe it's an original. There is also another similar cake, which is a variant of the European Cremeschnitte called the Zagrebačka kremšnita that Stjepan Vincek made in the 1980s. He was the owner of Slastičarna Vincek, who boasted that more than 300,000 of these cakes are sold from his shop annually.
Pijanci means “drunk” and the cake had earned such a name because it used to grace afternoon tête-à-tête with friends whilst drinking wine and catching up. The cake used to be dunked in wine like one dunks Oreo in milk, hence the name. Like the Rapska torta, this too is shaped like a coil and after baking, the tops are dipped in a frosting of egg whites and sugar.