The recipe of Fanta cake, which is a playful fusion of unexpected ingredients, started to spread among the Hungarian housewives in the 90’s. At first glance, the combination of Fanta Orange drink, cottage cheese, and cocoa cake might raise an eyebrow, but one bite is all it takes to understand the magic that happens when these seemingly disparate elements come together.
The foundation of Fanta cake is usually a cocoa sponge cake, but I prefer to make it with another kind of cake taken from the recipe of Rezi szelet. The cottage cheese filling is combined with butter, sugar and lemon, which harmonizes well with the tangy sweetness of Fanta. The orange drink is thickened with vanilla pudding mix, or failing that, you can make homemade pudding using egg yolks, vanilla sugar and corn starch.
Ingredients:
For the cake:
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 125 g (~1 cup) flour
- 125 g (~2/3 cup) sugar
- 1 level tsp baking soda
- 180 g (~6 1/3 oz) sour cream
- pinch of salt
For the cottage cheese filling:
- 500 g (~1 lb + 1 1/3 oz) cottage cheese
- 200 g (~7 oz) butter, softened
- 150 g (~1 1/4 cups) powdered sugar
- zest of a lemon
For the Fanta layer:
- 2 sachets of vanilla flavoured pudding mix (weight: 40 g / 1 1/2 oz per sachet)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 700 ml (~3 cups) Fanta Orange drink
or if you can’t obtain pudding mix
- 4 egg yolks
- 70 g (~2 1/2 oz) corn starch
- 2 tbsp vanilla sugar
- 700 ml (~3 cups) Fanta Orange drink
Preheat the oven to 190°C / 374°F, grease and flour a 23×39 cm / 9×15 inch baking pan.
In a small bowl combine flour, cocoa powder and baking soda. In a mixing bowl whisk sugar, salt and egg until pale yellow and foamy. Mix in sour cream, then with a wooden spoon gently stir in the flour-cocoa mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spread evenly and bake for 15-16 minutes. Let it cool.
Pass the cottage cheese through a fine sieve, then add softened butter, powdered sugar and lemon zest, and mix until well combined. Spread this mixture on the cake evenly and put in the fridge.
Place pudding mix and sugar in a saucepan, and gradually whisk in Fanta. Over medium heat cook, while stirring constantly, until it thickens.
If you make homemade pudding, beat egg yolks and sugar until foamy, then add corn starch, and finally gradually mix in the orange drink. Cook until it thickens.
Let the Fanta pudding cool until it becomes lukewarm, then pour it on the cottage cheese layer. Chill for 2-3 hours before serving.
