This post is also available in: Romanian
Cezar? Don Quijote? Which on of them, in my arrogance, I wished to choose as role model? It’s not important anymore. The fact that, one day, some time or another, from over the seas, I begun to conquer the world, all perplexities of the world… – Emil Cioran
The work of Cioran will never annoy me. His is showcasing such deep humanity spirit issues, which are still up-to-date, after all these years. We’ve invented such wonderful technology tools, but we are not still able to fix our spirit issues. We are totally incapable to admit life’s substantiality, we are running here and there, like crazy people hoping to catch some luster.
I’m incapable to understand from where or whom has injected in some of us, this desperate need of recognition. Suddenly you are waking up in the morning, you are turning on the TV, and you see a bunch of dumbbells making “entertainment”. You go on and start browsing internet and then you see the same game, but this time they are pretending they have invented something that has been there since always. I ache for those times, when people were humble and did not pretend they are the greatest.
The modern technologies affected some of you, in the way in which our thinking mechanism has been stimulated to overdo something. There should be people in the farms, there should be people governing a country, there should be people creating artistic value. Sadly, today, we all are small caricatural Michelangelo or Annie Leibovitz. Instead of caricatures, I wish to see out there, real talent, which will be promoted, not fake and cheap illusionism. I’m also sure that many of you went to art school…
Meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy this great Marlenka makeover alongside a good book and a coffee. While I was photographing the cake, I introduced in the composition also my twin sister‘s poetry book – Divina tragedie, which has been the subject of many awards in Romania.
Marlenka with Dulce de Leche
Ingredients for Marlenka:
2 eggs
60 g butter
200 g crystal sugar
40 g honey
half of teaspoon of baking powder
600 g flour
100g ground walnuts
Directions :
1. Add the sugar and honey in a small saucepan on medium heat and stir until all melted and well blended. Then add the butter and mix well. Add the eggs, baking powder and mix well.
2. Add the flour gradually, stirring well. Add flour until the dough is still knead-able, but slightly hard. It should not come apart and it should not stick to your hands. Separate the dough into 4-5 pieces, and roll it in into 5 large fine equally rounds (I used 18×35).
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a parchment paper in a large pan. Place the dough layers inside. Bake each layer for 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown, then cool on an iron rack.
Ingredients for dulce de leche (cajeta) from David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop
(makes about 1 1/4 cup dulce de leche)
4 cups (1 L) goat milk
1 cup (200 gr) sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoon light corn syrup
large pinch of salt
1 cinnamon stick
Directions :
1. In a dutch oven or a large, heavy-bottomed pot, combine the goat’s milk, sugar, baking soda, corn syrup, and salt. Break up the cinnamon stick in a few large pieces and add them to the milk.
2. Bring the milk to a boil over high heat. When the mixture begins to foam, start stirring. Reduce heat to medium high, keeping the milk at a low rolling boil while stirring. Cook for about 20 minutes, until the milk thickens and turns a beige color.
3. Reduce heat to low and continue to stir the milk, scraping the bottom of the pot, cooking until it turns a deep orange caramel brown, about 15 more minutes.
4. Remove the pot from heat and let cool.
Assemble the cake:
1. Onto a large serving plate, place a layer of cake, spread some dulce de leche on it, sprinkle ground walnuts and continue in the same way with the rest of the layers.
2. Finish by spreading dulce de leche on the last top layer, then chocolate glaze, and finally sprinkle ground walnuts.
3. Let the cake stand for at least 6 hours in the fridge, to allow the creams to get into the layers.
This looks absolutely delicious!
I would like to try and make it..Oh, and the pictures are so-so pretty!
Ohh, Anca, thank you and I’m sure that Mia would enjoy a piece of this Marlenka!
Oh, she sure would!