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Stonski kolač
Pasta, walnut and chocolate cake
Stonski kolač: Ston pasta, walnut and chocolate cake baked in pastry, from southern Dalmatia, Croatia
Behind the long stone walls of Ston, on the Pelješac peninsula near Dubrovnik in Croatia, bakers make one of the strangest cakes on the Adriatic: a pastry case filled with short pieces of cooked pasta, ground walnuts, chocolate, cinnamon and citrus zest, all bound with eggs and sugar. It is served on feast days and at weddings, cut into dense, fragrant slices where the pasta gives a soft, chewy bite against the nutty filling. Many families add a splash of rum to the filling; this recipe is alcohol-free, and adults can add 2 tbsp of rum with the zest if they like. A common mistake is cutting the cake while warm, when the filling is still too soft to hold; leave it to cool completely. Chef's tip: undercook the pasta by a minute, because it keeps softening in the oven.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 10 ½ oz plain flourplus extra for rolling
- 1 ¾ oz icing sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 5 ½ oz cold unsalted butterdiced
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 tbsp cold water
For the filling
- 5 ½ oz thin spaghetti
- 2 ⅛ oz unsalted buttermelted
- 4 eggs
- 5 ½ oz caster sugar
- 5 ½ oz ground walnuts
- 3 ½ oz dark chocolatefinely grated
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
To finish
- 1 tbsp icing sugar (optional)for dusting
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Rub 5 ½ oz cold unsalted butter into 10 ½ oz plain flour, 1 ¾ oz icing sugar and 1 pinch salt with your fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add 1 egg yolk and 3 tbsp cold water and bring together into a smooth dough without kneading. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
35 minStep 2: Meanwhile, cook 5 ½ oz thin spaghetti in boiling salted water for 1 minute less than the packet says, until bendy with a firm core. Drain, rinse under cold water and drain well.
10 minStep 3: Toss the pasta with 2 ⅛ oz unsalted butter and chop it into 2 cm pieces.
3 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 350°F. Roll out two-thirds of the pastry to 4 mm and line a 24 cm springform tin, base and 4 cm up the sides. Chill while you make the filling.
10 minStep 5: Whisk 4 eggs and 5 ½ oz caster sugar for 4–5 minutes, until pale and thick.
5 minStep 6: Fold in 5 ½ oz ground walnuts, 3 ½ oz dark chocolate, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tbsp orange zest, 1 tsp lemon zest, 1 tsp vanilla extract and the pasta until evenly mixed.
2 minStep 7: Spoon the filling into the pastry case and level it. Roll out the remaining pastry, cut into 1.5 cm strips and lay them across the top in a lattice, pressing the ends onto the rim.
10 minStep 8: Bake for 55–60 minutes, until the pastry is golden and a skewer in the centre comes out with moist crumbs but no runny egg. Cover loosely with foil if the top darkens too fast.
58 minStep 9: Cool completely in the tin, at least 2 hours, then unclip, dust with 1 tbsp icing sugar and cut into slices.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 440 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 47 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does stonski kolač take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 50 minutes to prepare and 70 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of icing sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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