Slovenian · dessert

Potica (Rolled Walnut Yeast Cake)

Potica (Rolled Walnut Yeast Cake) reads sweetness 6.6, richness 6.0 and nutty 4.8 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Slovenian dessert, about 5 hr 31 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Sweetness 6.6 · Richness 6.0 · Nutty 4.8 · Citrus 4.3 · Floral 4.3 · Salinity 3.6 · Earthy 2.8 · Funk & Ferment 2.6 · Umami 1.9 · Warm Spice 1.8 · Bitterness 1.8 · Sourness 1.3 · Fruity 1.3 · Herbaceous 0.9

What's in it (14)

Time & effort: about 5 hr 31 min (1 hr 46 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 350.7 kcal, 15 g protein, 22.8 g fat, 37.1 g carbs

Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (11 steps)

  1. Knead the flour, yeast, warm milk, sugar, yolks, melted butter, salt and lemon zest for 12 minutes into a soft enriched dough that pulls away from the bowl but stays tacky.
  2. Cover and prove 90 minutes, until doubled.
  3. Pour the hot milk over the ground walnuts and stir in the honey, the filling butter and the cinnamon. Scalding the nuts releases their oil and is what makes a potica filling dark and fragrant rather than dusty.
  4. Whip the egg whites to soft peaks.
  5. Fold the whites into the cooled walnut mixture. This lightens a filling that would otherwise sit like a brick in the middle of the roll.
  6. Roll the dough out on a floured cloth to a rectangle about 60 by 40 cm and no more than 4 mm thick, working slowly so it does not spring back. Potica is judged on the number of turns visible in a cut slice, and thin dough is the only way to get them.
  7. Spread the filling right to within 2 cm of the edges.
  8. Use the cloth to roll it up from the long side into a tight log, then coil the log into a buttered fluted potičnik mould, seam down.
  9. Prove 45 minutes.
  10. Bake at 170C for 58 minutes, until deep brown and hollow-sounding. Cover the top with foil if it darkens too fast.
  11. Cool completely in the tin, at least 90 minutes, before turning out and slicing; cut warm, the spiral tears and the filling smears. Potica is the Christmas and Easter cake of Slovenia and every valley claims its own filling, from tarragon to cracklings.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.