Ukrainian Walnut Sheetcake – Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup confectioner sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 Tbsp. sour cream
• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• grated rind of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 whole egg to use for egg wash
Filling
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 cup granular sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups walnuts, ground (16 oz of shelled walnuts)
• 5 egg whites
• 6 oz currant jelly

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter with the sugar until fluffy.
2. Mix in the egg yolk and sour cream.
3. Gently fold in 1 cup of flour, lemon juice, lemon rind, and vanilla extract.
4. Place the remaining flour on a work surface, scoop out the batter onto it and knead lightly to incorporate all ingredients evenly.
5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for about 2 hours, or overnight.
Filling
6. In a medium bowl beat the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy, and pale yellow color.
7. Gently mix in the ground walnuts, and vanilla extract.
8. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
9. Fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Set aside.
10. Line a 10 x 13 x 2 inch baking sheet with lightly greased parchment paper.
11. Use 2/3 of the chilled dough and spread it evenly over the lined pan, gently pressing with your fingers or a small roller.
12. Spread currant jelly over the cake dough.
13. Spoon walnut filling over the jelly, and smooth it evenly with the back of a spoon.
14. Remove the remaining dough from the fridge onto a floured work surface, and knead for few minutes, working in the flour from the work surface to firm up the dough a bit.
15. Place the dough on a large piece of well floured wax or parchment paper, cover it with another piece of parchment paper, and gently roll it into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle. Now may cut it into strips and place them on top of the filling to form a lattice design, or gently lay the whole piece over the filling, .
16. Prepare the egg wash by beating 1 egg with 1 tsp of water, then using a pastry brush, brush it all over the top of the cake.
17. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
18. Place the cake on the middle oven rack, and bake 30 to 45 minutes, depending on your oven, and until the toothpick comes out clean, when testing.
19. Remove pan from the oven, place it on a cooling rack to cool off completely. Cut into serving pieces while in the pan. Arrange pieces on a platter and sprinkle tops with powdered sugar just before serving.