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This sweet Slovenian food is under European protection and is regarded as one of the national gastronomic delicacies, due to its flavour, ingredients and a unique recipe.

Gibanica or layer cake is one of the old festive and ceremonial Slovenian desserts, which originate from the region along the Mura River. The oldest written recipe dates back to 1828. This sweet Slovenian food is under European protection and is regarded as one of the national gastronomic delicacies, due to its flavour, ingredients and a unique recipe.

Prekmurje flat cake can be sweet or salty, and it is made of strudel dough layers and layers of many fillings. The classic gibanica is made of nine layers with fillings like poppy seeds, raisins, groundnuts, and steamed apples. However, there are some other alternatives to these Slovenian desserts that originate in the north eastern part of the country.

Ingredients:

• Light dough
• Filo pastry sheets

Poppy seed filling

• 300 g of finely ground poppy seeds
• 100 g confectioner’s sugar
• 1 pack vanilla sugar

Skuta curd cheese filling

• 1.2 kg full-fat skuta curd cheese
• 100 g confectioner’s sugar
• 2 packs vanilla sugar
• 2 eggs
• a pinch of salt

Walnut filling

• 300 g ground walnuts
• 100 g confectioner’s sugar
• 1 pack vanilla sugar

Apple filling

• 1.5 kg apples – a sour variety
• a pinch of salt
• 120 g confectioner’s sugar
• 2 packs vanilla sugar
• a pinch of cinnamon

Cream topping

• 800 ml whipping cream
• 3 eggs

Margarine/butter/lard topping

• 250 g margarine/butter/lard or plant oil

Preparation

First begin by placing a layer of light dough and then placing a layer of filo pastry sheet on top of it, on which half of the poppy seed filling is spread evenly. Pour the margarine/butter/lard and the cream toppings over this layer. Add a second layer of filo pastry and skuta curd cheese filling, then a third layer of filo pastry with the walnut filling, and a fourth layer of filo pastry with the apple filling. The fatty and cream toppings are poured over every layer of filling.

The entire procedure is then repeated in the same order, i.e. the poppy seed layer is followed by the skuta curd cheese filling, then the walnut and the apple filling.

Once there are eight layers of filling with suitable layers of filo pastry in-between, the eighth layer of filo pastry is placed on top of the final filling, which is then sprinkled with the cream or fatty topping, and then the last, ninth layer of filo pastry is added. The Prekmurje layer cake (gibanica) is baked for an hour at 180°C. The height of individual pieces of the baked gibanica must be from 5 to 7 cm, and its weight cannot exceed 250 g.

If you’ve never tried it please make sure to ask for it when you travel to Slovenia.

Check out more info here.