Grilážové rezy: Slovak walnut brittle cake bars

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Bake the sponge cake

   35 min

   Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F) and line a 25 × 35 cm baking pan with parchment paper. Beat the egg whites with the sugar until stiff peaks form. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, followed by the oil and water. Sift the flour with the cocoa powder and baking powder, then gently fold it in with a spatula. Spread the batter in the pan and bake for 15–18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out dry. Let cool.

2. Make the walnut brittle

   15 min

   Coarsely chop the walnuts and briefly toast them in a dry skillet. Grease a sheet of parchment paper with butter. Melt the sugar in a dry skillet over medium heat and let it caramelize until golden, swirling the pan rather than stirring. Add the walnuts, stir quickly, and pour onto the parchment paper. The caramel is extremely hot; do not touch it.

3. Crush the brittle

   5 min

   Once the brittle has cooled completely, break it up, place it in a plastic bag, and crush it into small pieces with a rolling pin. Set aside one-third for sprinkling on top.

4. Make the buttercream

   10 min

   Beat the softened butter until light and fluffy, then beat in the room-temperature dulce de leche a spoonful at a time. Fold in two-thirds of the crushed brittle.

5. Add the buttercream and glaze

   45 min

   Spread the buttercream over the cooled cake and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a bowl over a water bath, let cool slightly, then spread over the firm buttercream. Sprinkle with the remaining brittle.

6. Chill and slice

   4 hr

   Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, until set. Cut into 20 pieces using a knife dipped in hot water.

Tip: To make dulce de leche from regular sweetened condensed milk, boil the unopened can for 2 hours, keeping it completely submerged in water the entire time, and let it cool completely before opening.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Grilážové rezy s orechmi a karamelovým krémom