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Prósza
Prósza: Őrség baked cornmeal cake with sour cream, topped with sweet túró or fruit
HungarianBefore wheat was common in the Őrség and Göcsej, the wooded border country of western Hungary, cornmeal was the everyday flour, and prósza was what came out of the bread oven on baking day. It is a moist, golden cornbread cake, made rich and tender with sour cream, sweet but not sugary, with a crumbly crust. Families in the region eat it warm for breakfast or afternoon coffee, either plain, spread with plum jam, or baked with a layer of sweet túró and sour cream on top, as here. Túró is normally made without rennet, but check the label. The usual slip is using coarse polenta, which stays gritty; choose fine cornmeal, and let the batter rest so it softens. Chef's tip: scald the cornmeal with the hot milk first; it swells and gives a much softer crumb.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the cake
- 10 ½ oz fine yellow cornmeal
- 1 ¼ cups milkhot
- 2 ⅞ oz sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 eggs
- 7 oz sour cream
- ¼ cup sunflower oilplus extra for the tin
- 2 tsp baking powder
For the topping
- 5 ½ oz sour cream
- 1 ⅜ oz sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
To serve
- 4 tbsp plum jam (optional)
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Put 10 ½ oz fine yellow cornmeal in a bowl, pour over the hot 1 ¼ cups milk, stir well and leave for 10 minutes, until it swells and cools a little.
10 minStep 2: Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan) and oil a 20 x 25 cm baking tin.
2 minStep 3: Beat 2 eggs with 2 ⅞ oz sugar and 1 pinch salt until pale, then stir in 7 oz sour cream and ¼ cup sunflower oil.
3 minStep 4: Mix the egg mixture and 2 tsp baking powder into the cornmeal until smooth and thick, then spread it in the tin.
2 minStep 5: Bake for 25 minutes, until risen, golden and just firm in the middle.
25 minStep 6: Meanwhile, mash 9 oz túró or farmer's cheese with 5 ½ oz sour cream, 1 ⅜ oz sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract until creamy.
3 minStep 7: Spread the topping over the hot cake and bake for 15–20 minutes more, until the topping is set and lightly golden at the edges and a skewer pushed into the cake comes out clean.
18 minStep 8: Cool for 15 minutes in the tin, then cut into squares and serve warm with 4 tbsp plum jam.
15 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does prósza take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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