Kremšnita (Bled Cream Cake)
Photo: Petar Milošević · CC BY-SA 4.0

History

Kremšnita was created in 1953 by Ištvan Lukačević, head chef at the Park Hotel in Bled, who fixed the classic Austro-Hungarian cream cake formula to the proportions that became Slovenia's national pastry standard. Park Hotel still serves the cake at the original specifications. Ljubljana cafés and bakeries (Kavarna Zvezda, Pekarna Osem, EK Bistro) serve faithful versions.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Egg

Make it at home

Yield 12Hands-on 45 minTotal 4 hr 30 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 2 sheets all-butter puff pastry, 320g each
  • 1L whole milk
  • 2 vanilla pods, split and seeds scraped
  • 300g caster sugar
  • 8 large egg yolks
  • 80g cornflour
  • 40g all-purpose flour
  • 60g unsalted butter
  • Pinch fine salt
  • 500ml double cream (35 percent fat), cold
  • 30g icing sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Icing sugar, for finishing

Method

  1. Heat oven to 200C. Roll out each puff pastry sheet to fit a 28cm x 20cm tray.
  2. Prick all over with a fork to prevent excessive puffing. Bake each sheet between two trays (sandwiched flat) for 18 to 20 minutes until deep golden. Cool flat.
  3. Make the pastry cream: bring milk with vanilla pods and seeds and 200g of the sugar to a bare simmer.
  4. Whisk egg yolks with remaining sugar, cornflour, flour, and salt until pale and thick.
  5. Pour hot milk over the yolk mix in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Return to the pan.
  6. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for 4 minutes until very thick. Remove from heat, whisk in butter.
  7. Press cling film directly onto the surface; cool to room temperature, then chill 1 hour.
  8. Whip the cold double cream with icing sugar and vanilla to medium peaks.
  9. Place one cooled puff pastry sheet in the bottom of a deep tray with sides. Spread the chilled pastry cream evenly across it in a 3cm-thick layer.
  10. Pile the whipped cream on top of the pastry cream in a 3cm-thick layer, smooth with an offset spatula.
  11. Slice the second puff pastry sheet into 12 portions before placing on top; cutting after assembly crushes the layers.
  12. Lay the cut squares gently on top of the whipped cream. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
  13. Dust heavily with icing sugar just before serving. Use a sharp knife wiped between cuts to portion.

Tip from the editors. Cutting the top puff pastry before assembly is the Slovenian baker's trick; if you assemble first and try to slice through the top layer, the entire cake squashes downward. Cool puff pastry sheets must lie flat under weight to stay crisp.

Where to eat kremšnita (bled cream cake)

Kremšnita (Bled Cream Cake) in Ljubljana

Kavarna Zvezda pastry counter ★ 4.0

€ BakeryHabsburg-style cakes and potica slicesCenter

Kavarna Zvezda's pastry counter on Wolfova works in the old Habsburg city-cafe register, with potica, prekmurska gibanica and house Sacher-style chocolate.

Worth the queuePotica

Directions

EK Bistro bakery ★ 4.4

€ BakeryHomemade brioche and cinnamon rollsCenter

EK Bistro doubles as a small daily bakery, baking its own brioche, English muffins and cinnamon rolls every morning for the brunch room. A TableJourney pick.

Worth the queueBrioche cinnamon roll

Directions

Pekarna Osem ★ 4.4

€€ BakeryStari Grad

Pekarna Osem is andrej gerzelj's stari trg sourdough bakery is small enough to miss, fronting onto a quiet cobbled square. the city's best country loaf.

Why locals goAndrej Gerzelj's Stari trg sourdough bakery is small enough to miss, fronting onto a quiet cobbled square. The city's best country loaf.

TipSaturday morning sells through the daily loaves quickly. Get there before 11:00.

Directions

Pekarna Vasko ★ 4.0

€ BakeryTraditional Slovenian bread and pastriesSiska

Pekarna Vasko bakes the traditional Slovenian range, from the Pohorska gibanica layered cake to pohorska kruh seeded loaf and burek for office mornings.

Worth the queuePohorska gibanica

Directions

Brot Pekarna ★ 4.5

€ BakerySourdough breads and French croissantsCenter

Brot Pekarna on Poljanska is a family-run artisan bakery with an international team, the carte three sourdoughs (white, half-white and Borodinsky).

Worth the queueBorodinsky sourdough with coriander seeds

Directions

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