Mézes krémes

Ingredients

• 1¼ lbFlourabout 500 g for the dough, about 40 g (4 tbsp) to thicken the cream
• 4 tbspHoneyfor the dough, usually melted
• 11½ ozbutterabout 80 g for the dough (lard or margarine also used), 250 g softened for the cream
• 11½ ozIcing sugarabout 120 g for the dough, about 200 g for the buttercream; granulated sugar also used
• 1Eggfor the dough; in some sources also in the cream
• 1 tspBaking sodaleavening for the honey dough
• 1 tspBaking powderalternative or in addition to baking soda (optional)
• 2⅛ cupsMilkfor the cooked cream; a few extra spoonfuls for the dough
• ½ ozvanilla sugarfor the cream; seeds of one vanilla pod as an alternative
• 5¼ ozdark chocolatefor the glaze, melted over a water bath
• 3 tbspcocoa powderfor the cooked cocoa glaze; in two sources used in the dough instead
• 3 tbspSour creammakes the dough softer (optional)
• 1 tbspGingerbread spicefor the dough; cinnamon or a little ginger as an alternative (optional)
• 5 tbspJamthick jam as an extra layer between two sheets (optional)
• 1 tbsprumto flavour the cream (optional)

Method

1. Put the honey, butter (lard or margarine work too) and powdered sugar in a bowl and melt over a hot water bath, stirring until smooth. Let it cool slightly.
2. Mix the flour with the baking soda and, if you like, baking powder and gingerbread spice. Add the egg and the honey mixture, plus sour cream if using, and work everything with a few spoonfuls of milk into a soft, easily kneadable dough. Cover and let it rest or chill.
3. Divide the dough into four pieces of equal weight and roll each one out thinly to the size of your baking tray — easiest directly on baking parchment or on the greased back of the tray.
4. Bake the sheets at 180–390 °F for 6–10 minutes each, keeping them pale rather than dark, then let them cool completely.
5. For the cream, whisk the milk with the flour and vanilla sugar until free of lumps, then cook it down to a thick cream, stirring constantly. Take it off the heat and let it go completely cold, stirring now and then so no skin forms.
6. Beat the softened butter with the powdered sugar until light and fluffy, then work in the cold flour cream a spoonful at a time until you have a smooth, airy buttercream; stir in a spoonful of rum if you like.
7. Spread the cream evenly over the cooled sheets and stack them up; a layer of thick jam between two of the sheets is welcome here too.
8. For the glaze, melt the dark chocolate over a water bath, or bring cocoa to the boil with sugar, butter and a little liquid, and coat the cake with it.
9. Leave the cake in a cool place to soften at least overnight, so the sheets turn tender. Only then trim the edges and cut it into slices.

Tips and variations

The filling takes well to variation: instead of the flour cream, use a milk semolina lightened with stiffly whipped cream in place of butter, or thicken with vanilla pudding powder or partly with corn flour. Some fold in beaten egg white, others stir a whole egg into the butter mixture; almond flavouring suits it as well. For something fancier, split the filling and flavour one half with cocoa and the other with jam sugar and rum, adding rum-soaked ladyfingers. Cocoa in the honey dough gives dark sheets, lemon juice and zest plus cinnamon bring a fresher note to the spicing, and three sheets instead of four do the job too. Sometimes a dusting of powdered sugar replaces the glaze entirely. Serve the cake cold in narrow slices — cut with a long knife rinsed in hot water and the slices stay neat.