Vitality cake

Name: Vitality cake
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 12 slices
Cuisine: Hungarian
Ingredients: 100 g soft butter; 4 egg yolks; 4 egg whites; 120 g sugar; 100 ml milk; 280 g plain flour; grated zest of 1 lemon; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 pinch of salt; butter and flour for the tin; icing sugar for dusting

Time: 1 hour 10 minutes12 slicesapprox. 280 kcal / serving (estimated)approx. 6 g protein / serving

Éltető lepény ("life-giving" cake) is an old Hungarian Bundt-style butter cake: soft, lemony and light. Its name suggests it gives strength. It is made with creamed butter and beaten egg whites, so it is airy yet pleasantly dense. Excellent with tea or coffee.

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Method

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Preheat the oven to 170 °C (155 °C fan). Grease a 24 cm Bundt tin or a 25 cm loaf tin and dust it with flour.
With a mixer, beat the soft butter with the sugar for 4-5 minutes until fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each.
Add the milk, lemon zest, and the flour mixed with the baking powder and salt. You get a smooth, thick batter.
Beat the egg whites until stiff and gently fold them into the batter in two batches.
Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 45-50 minutes. Bake at a gentle heat: if it bakes too fast, the top cracks while the inside stays raw. A skewer should come out clean.
Leave in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Serve dusted with icing sugar. It stays soft for 4 days in a closed tin.

Based on: Malatinszky Fanny szakácskönyve (a classic Hungarian cookbook), modernised. Calories and protein are estimated.

Tips

Bake at a gentle heat so it cooks evenly.
Fold the whites gently so the batter stays airy.
Orange zest instead of lemon is also delicious.
You can add raisins or dried fruit.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it keep?

4 days in a closed tin, 2 months frozen.

Why does it crack?

The temperature was too high; reduce it by 10 degrees.

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