Top 5 Serbian Cakes

Vasina torta or Vasa's cake is an absolute classic of Serbian cuisine consisting of a walnut sponge base, a creamy filling made with walnuts, chocolate, and oranges, and two additional toppings – šaum (a mixture of egg whites, sugar, and a bit of water) and chocolate. The cake dates back to 1908, when it was prepared as a gift from a mother-in-law to her son-in-law, Vasa Čokrljan from Paraćin, who took his wife to Vienna so she could give birth in better conditions than in Serbia. It should be noted that oranges were a real treasure in Serbia in 1908, which is one of the main reasons why this cake was so precious and valuable. Since then, the cake became a staple in every Serbian home, and it is regularly prepared for festive events such as birthdays and weddings.Expand

Reform torta is a rich Serbian multi-layered cake. It consists of walnut sponge cake and a creamy chocolate filling. The sponge is made with egg whites, sugar, and walnuts, while the filling is prepared with a combination of chocolate, egg yolks, sugar, and butter. The top and sides of the cake are usually frosted with the remaining filling, while a sprinkling of chopped walnuts is often added as a garnish on top of the cake. This cake is a staple of numerous festive events and celebrations in Serbia, and it is believed that it dates back to the period after WWII.Expand

Lenja pita or lazy pie is a traditional dessert consisting of two layers of biscuit with either a fruit filling, cheese, or nut filling sandwiched in between. The name of the dish refers to the fact that this cake is inexpensive and easy to prepare. The dough consists of eggs, sugar, oil, flour, yogurt, and baking powder, while the fruit filling may be prepared with apples, cherries, blueberries, and similar forest fruits. The version with cheese is also very popular, as is the one with poppy seed filling. The cake is traditionally served sliced and dusted with powdered sugar.Expand

Vojvođanski koh or koh od griza is a simple, rustic cake made with eggs, sugar, semolina, milk, and vanilla sugar. It consists of two components: a sponge cake and sweetened boiled milk, which is poured over the sponge while both are still hot. Recipes do vary in either the ingredients or preparation method. For example, some will have both semolina and flour in the sponge, while others will also have custard on top of the sponge. Vojvođanski koh should be served well chilled, perhaps with some fruit on the side.Expand

Fontoš is a Serbian cake from the village of Debeljača. Since most of the villagers come from Hungary, they have brought over their culinary traditions, such as this cake. It is made with flour, yeast, milk, sugar, fat, cloves, margarine, salt, and pepper. For each fontoš, the dough is rolled into two thin strips – one is simply shaped into an outer ring, and the other one is braided and shaped into an inner ring of the cake. After it has been brushed with egg wash and baked, fontoš is additionally brushed with a combination of sugar, water, and oil. This cake is traditionally prepared on Thursdays before the wedding ceremonies, which are held on Saturdays, when fontoš is distributed from a tractor throughout the village, so even if you're not a wedding guest and find yourself in Debeljača on a Saturday, you might get to taste one for free.Expand