Lažne Princes Krofne
Лажне принцес крофне·(lahzh-neh prin-tzes krohf-neh)
Slatkiši: Celebration Sweets
Sunday afternoons in a Balkan household are heavy with the scent of butter, vanilla, and toasted pastry. True Princes Krofne require piping dozens of delicate puffs—a noble pursuit, but an unreasonable demand for a busy parent pulling off a weeknight miracle in Ohio. Enter the 'lažne' or fake version, a brilliant, pragmatic hack born of necessity. It uses the exact same eggy choux pastry and rich vanilla egg-yolk custard, but bakes into wild, rustic mountain peaks in a cake pan. No piping, no pretense. You stack it, slice it, and take a bite, and it tastes exactly like the old country.
Before you start
Line the baking gear.
Line the bottoms of your pans with parchment paper, but do not grease the sides. The dough needs to physically grip the metal to climb and puff properly in the oven.
Ingredients
- water1 cup
- unsalted butter8 tbsp
- granulated sugar1 tbsp
- salt1/4 tsp
- all-purpose flour1 cup
- large eggs4 large
- whole milk2 1/2 cup
- large egg yolks4 large
- granulated sugar2/3 cup
- cornstarch1/4 cup
- all-purpose flour1/4 cup
- vanilla extract1 tsp
- unsalted butter8 tbsp
- heavy whipping cream1 cup
- powdered sugar1 tbsp
- powdered sugar2 tbsp
Method
- 01
Whisk the custard slurry.
In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together the egg yolks, two-thirds cup of sugar, cornstarch, one-quarter cup of flour, and a half cup of the milk until completely smooth, pale, and free of lumps.
- 02
Heat the remaining milk and temper the eggs.
In a medium saucepan, bring the remaining two cups of milk to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Slowly pour about half of the hot milk into the egg yolk slurry while whisking constantly so the eggs don't scramble, then pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan.
- 03
Cook the custard into a thick pudding.
Return the saucepan to medium heat and whisk continuously for 2 to 4 minutes. The mixture will suddenly thicken into a dense, bubbling pudding. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- 04
Cool the custard under plastic wrap.
Transfer the hot custard to a clean bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto its surface to prevent a rubbery skin from forming. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate until completely chilled.
- 05
Boil the choux base.
Preheat your oven to 400°F. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, cubed butter, one tablespoon of sugar, and salt. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, making sure the butter melts completely.
- 06
Cook out the raw flour.
Remove the pot from the heat and dump in the one cup of flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Put the pot back over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, mashing and stirring the dough ball to cook out the raw flour taste and evaporate excess moisture.
- 07
Beat in the eggs one at a time.
Transfer the hot dough to a mixing bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes so it doesn't cook the eggs. Using a mixer on medium speed, beat in the whole eggs one by one, ensuring each is fully absorbed before adding the next, until you are left with a thick, glossy, sticky paste.
- 08
Bake the pastry and keep the oven shut.
Divide the sticky dough in half and spread it unevenly into two parchment-lined 9-inch round pans. Bake in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes until puffed and deeply golden. Do not open the oven door under any circumstances.
- 09
Cool the pastry in the cracked oven.
Turn off the oven, crack the door slightly by wedging a wooden spoon in it, and let the pastry sit inside for 10 minutes to slowly adjust to room temperature. This dries it out and prevents the structure from collapsing. Remove and cool completely.
- 10
Whip the butter into the custard and whip the cream.
Beat the softened butter until pale and fluffy, then beat it into the chilled custard until silky. In a separate clean bowl, whip the cold heavy cream and one tablespoon of powdered sugar to stiff peaks.
- 11
Assemble and chill the cake.
Place one layer of the cooled pastry on a platter, spread the vanilla custard into its peaks and valleys, and top evenly with the whipped cream. Gently place the second pastry layer on top, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Dust generously with powdered sugar before slicing.
Notes
The cardinal rule of the oven door.
If you open the oven before the pastry is fully set, the steam escapes, the pressure drops, and your beautiful mountain peaks will collapse into dense, rubbery disks. Leave it shut.
Using a rectangular dish.
If you don't have two round pans, you can bake the dough in two batches using a single parchment-lined 9x13-inch baking dish.
From Cook Balkan in America.