As I haven’t found better translation for mézes tészta, I decided to use the term honey-vanilla squares. Honey-flavoured cakes are very mouth-watering, but you have to be very patient until the first bites since these desserts need at least an entire day to soften enough and become enjoyable.
Making mézes tészta is time-consuming enough, so if you don’t have time for the whole process and don’t want to do it hurry-scurry, you may as well bake the cake layers one day earlier. The quantity of the filling may seem little, but in this case it doesn’t need to be dominant, custard only has the role to “tune up” and make the cake soft.
photo: zserbo.com
Ingredients:
For the dough:
- 600 g (~4 3/4 cups) flour
- 150 g (~2/3 cup) butter
- 60 g (~1/2 cup) cocoa powder
- 2 eggs
- 8 tbsp lukewarm milk
- 5 tbsp lukewarm honey
- 120 g (~1 cup) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
For the filling:
- 50 g (~1/3 cup) corn starch
- 5 egg yolks
- 700 ml (~3 cups) milk
- seeds of a vanilla beans
- 120 g (~1 cup) powdered sugar
- 150 g (~2/3 cup) butter
For the topping:
- 50 g (~2 oz) dark chocolate
Size of the baking sheet: 35×35 cm
First make the custard. In a saucepan combine starch, egg yolks, vanilla beans and half of the sugar, then add milk gradually in order to avoid getting lumpy. Cook until it thickens. Let it cool.
In a separate bowl cream butter with the remaining powdered sugar. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 356°F.
Rub the cold butter sliced into cubes in the flour. Add eggs, cocoa, powdered sugar, milk, honey and baking soda and knead until a smooth ball forms. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and cover them with a dishtowel to prevent them from drying up. Roll out the first ball into a thin rectangle and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Repeat the process until all the cake layers are ready.
With a hand mixer thoroughly mix creamed butter and vanilla custard together.
To assemble the cake, place the first layer on a flat tray, brush lukewarm milk over its top and spread one fourth of the filling evenly. Repeat it by alternating cake layers and custard until you finish it by spreading the last portion of filling on the top of the fourth layer. Grate dark chocolate over its top and refrigerate overnight.
Serve it the next day, cut into 4×4 cm cubes.
