AI-generated image
Zlevanka
Koruzna zlevanka: Slovenian baked cornmeal and buttermilk cake, eaten with white coffee
Zlevanka, from the Slovenian for 'poured', is a farmhouse batter cake from the Prekmurje and Štajerska regions, poured into a tin and baked for breakfast, then cut into squares and eaten with a big cup of milky white coffee. This sweet version is made with cornmeal and buttermilk, which give it a soft, moist, slightly crumbly crumb with a golden crust; some families add fruit on top. The common mistake is overmixing the batter once the flour goes in, which makes it tough; stir only until combined. Chef's tip: soak the cornmeal in the buttermilk for 15 minutes before mixing, so it softens and the cake isn't gritty.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 7 oz fine yellow cornmeal
- 1 ¾ cups cultured buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 2 ⅞ oz sugar
- 2 ⅛ oz buttermelted, plus extra for the tin
- 2 ⅞ oz plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 plums or apples (optional)sliced
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (3)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Stir 7 oz fine yellow cornmeal into 1 ¾ cups cultured buttermilk and leave for 15 minutes to soften.
Step 2: Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan) and butter a 20 × 30 cm baking tin.
Step 4: Fold in 2 ⅞ oz plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder and 1 pinch salt until just combined. Pour into the tin and arrange 2 plums or apples on top if using.
Step 5: Bake for 35–40 minutes, until golden and a skewer in the middle comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, cut into squares and serve warm.
40 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does zlevanka take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 40 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 cultured buttermilk?
- Milk with lemon juice or white vinegar: 1 tbsp per 240ml (1 cup) milk, left for 5 minutes.
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Reform torta
Belgrade pastry shops have sold reform torta since the early twentieth century, and it is still the cake Serbian families bring out for birthdays, weddings and the slava. Three thin layers of walnut meringue, crisp at the edge and chewy inside, are stacked with a dense chocolate butter cream made with egg yolks cooked over steam until thick. It is very rich, so cut thin slices and serve with strong coffee. The usual slip is beating the butter into a chocolate mixture that is still warm, which melts it and splits the cream; let it cool to room temperature first. Chef's tip: assemble the cake the day before; overnight in the fridge the meringue softens a little and the cake slices cleanly with a hot knife.
Ma'amoul
Ma'amoul are delicate shortbread-like pastries made for Eid and Easter across the Middle East. A soft, rose-scented butter dough is wrapped around a filling of dates, walnuts, almonds and pistachios cooked with cinnamon, marked with a fork, baked pale and dusted with icing sugar. Makes 35; they keep well in a tin.
Ćimbur
Bosnian home cooks make ćimbur when there are eggs, onions and not much else, and it is a favourite weekend breakfast, or a quick sehur before dawn during Ramadan. Lots of sliced onion is cooked gently in butter until meltingly soft and sweet, then eggs are cracked into little hollows and covered until the whites set, so you scoop up runny yolk, silky onion and a dusting of paprika with warm bread or somun. A bowl of plain yogurt on the side is common. A common mistake is rushing the onions over a high heat, so they scorch on the edges while staying crunchy inside; patience over a medium-low flame is what makes the dish. Chef's tip: if the onions start to catch before they are soft, add a splash of water and keep going.
