Croatian recipes: How to make Stonska torta

by croatiaweek
October 30, 2020
in Food & Wine

Stonska torta – Ston cake (Photo credit: @Jozomoneybags)

A cake made with pasta may sound like a strange combo, but this sweet-savoury concoction works.

Stonska torta, or Ston cake, a cake with its origins from the small town of Ston on the Pelješac peninsula hence the name, is a cake made with macaroni pasta, or how the locals call it – makaruli.

The cake is often made for special occasions in the region and if you ever pass through Ston it is a must-try. Check out the recipe below.

Ingredients

For the dough

All-purpose flour – 400 g
Eggs – 2
Olive oil – 50 ml
Salt – 1/2 teaspoon
Vinegar – 1 tablespoon

For the filling

Macaroni pasta – 500 g
Sugar – 250 g
Chocolate (cooking) – 100 g
Almonds – 250 g
Walnuts – 150 g
Vanilla sugar – 1 teaspoon
Cinnamon – 2 teaspoons
Lemon – zest of half a lemon
Butter – 250 g
Eggs – 6

Instructions

Cook the macaroni pasta in boiling water until ready and then let it cool.
Grate the chocolate and lemon. Add to the chocolate sugar, ground almonds, walnuts, vanilla sugar, and cinnamon. Dice the butter into cubes and add it. Add the eggs and lightly mix together.
Add egg, olive oil, salt, and vinegar to the flour and knead together. Add a bit of water if needed. Let it rest.
Roll out the dough into a thin sheet which will cover and hang over the cake tin (26 cm springform)
Grease the cake tin with olive oil and place the dough in the tin making sure the excess dough hangs over the edges.
Place a layer of macaroni then on top of the chocolate, almonds, and walnut filling. Lightly whisk the eggs and pour it over. Place the cubes of butter in now. Repeat the layers until you reach the top of the tin. Make sure to add little cubes of butter also at the top and then close with the pastry overhanging. Cut off any excess.
Brush the surface with melted butter and cook in the oven at 180º C for around 45 minutes.
Sprinkle with icing sugar (optional), cool, and ready to serve.