My husband loves Raffaello pralines. He loves them so much he orders them in bulk online and polishes them off faster than he probably should. So it’s only natural that he asked me if there was such as thing as Rafaelo Torta. A quick search online showed that there is, but none of the pictures seemed to appeal to him. He wanted more filling, more almonds, and so I make it on my own to see how he liked it. And of course, he loved it. I’m so excited to share this recipe with you!
In the last couple of years, I’ve made my Rafaelo Kocke pretty frequently. In fact, they are one of the most popular posts on this blog. So many of my Instagram followers have reached out to say they came out amazing and to even more have saved and shared the recipe. Seems like there are plenty of people out there who love Raffaello.
This recipe is a little time-consuming, yes, but it’s perfect for a special occasion or when you have some time to spend in the kitchen. All the components can be made ahead and then the assembly is very easy the day of. While I recommend chilling it overnight in the refrigerator, if you were really short on time you could assemble it a few hours before you need it.
This recipe is for a longer, narrower cake as shown in the photos. However, if you wanted a full-size rectangle cake simply double the recipe. This smaller cake comfortably yields 10-12 slices depending on how you cut it. If you each slice in half, you can even serve it on a dessert tray and get double the pieces. I’ve done that too and my guests were very happy because they had the option to have a small piece of cake along with other desserts.
This makes the perfect Easter dessert or a Slava cake. In fact, there are so many different ways to decorate it because it’s a sturdy cake; you don’t have to worry about anything slipping or becoming too soft!
I know you will love this cake when you try it, especially if you’re a fan of coconut like we are.
Looking for other dessert ideas? Check out the desserts section!
Rafaelo Torta / Raffaello Cake
Course: DessertCuisine: Balkan, Serbian12
servings45
minutes40
minutes12
hoursA cake version of everyone’s favorite coconut praline: Raffaello!
Ingredients
- Cake Layer x2 (need double of all Cake Layer ingredients below)
4 egg whites (8 total)
1.5 cups (100 g) unsweetened coconut flakes (3 cups/200 g total)
1/2 cup (100) sugar (1 cup/200 g total)
- Custard Filling
8 egg yolks
4 cups (950 ml) milk
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar (1 kesica)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1/2 cup (68 g) flour
1/3 cup (50 g) unsweetened coconut flakes
1/3 cup (45 g) blanched almonds, chopped
1 1/3 stick (125 g) margarine or butter
- Also
4 packets Slag Krem (vanilla) prepared according to directions or 1 pint whipped cream
- Topping
Additional Coconut for topping
5-6 Raffaello pieces for decoration
Directions
- Cake Layers
- Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). Line a 9×13 rectangle baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whip the egg whites and sugar to a stiff peak. Then, gently fold in the coconut flakes.
- Transfer the mixture to the parchment-lined baking pan and carefully spread the mixture in an even layer.
- Bake at 350F/175C for 20 minutes until the sides just start to turn golden brown. The cake layer should still be white. Remove from the oven, carefully transfer the cake layer to a flat surface to cool, and repeat this process one more time to make a 2nd cake layer.
- Custard Filling
- In a saucepan, add 3/4 of the milk, vanilla sugar, and sugar. Heat on medium heat until the milk reaches a boil.
- While the milk is coming to a boil, in a mixing bowl combine the remaining milk, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and flour. Whisk very well to prevent any lumps. When the milk comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and pour the egg yolk mixture into the boiling milk. Whisk continuously, making sure to scrape the sides and the bottom of the pot until the mixture becomes thick (pudding-like consistency). Then do not scrap anymore just continue stirring the mixture.
- When the custard has thickened, continue cooking it for 1 more minute and then remove the pot from the heat and immediately pour the custard into a clean bowl (I use a glass bowl). Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the custard making sure it touches the custard across the entire surface. This will prevent a skin from forming on top. Leave the custard to cool completely.
- When the custard has cooled, beat the butter or margarine until it’s nice and whipped. With the mixer on low/medium, add in one spoonful of the custard at a time until all of the custard and margarine/butter has been incorporated.
- Next, to the custard filling add in the chopped blanched almonds and coconut flakes. Mix well to combine everything and set aside.
- Whipped Cream
- Whip the Šlag Krem according to the package instructions, or if using whipping cream add powdered sugar to taste. I prefer to use the Šlag Krem here but if you don’t have access to it whipped cream will work. Set aside.
- Assembly
- Take each cake layer and cut it down the middle lengthwise (on the long side). Do the same with both cake layers. You will end up with 4 long pieces.
- Divide your custard filling into 4 equal amounts. Then, start assembling the cake. Follow the following sequence when assembling the cake:
Cake Layer
Custard Filling
Whipped Cream
Cake Layer
and so on….. - Continue assembling the cake until you’ve used up all of your ingredients. Spread any extra custard filling along the sides of the cake. Then take the remaining whipped cream and spread it across the top and on the sides.
- Decorate the cake any way you’d like. I like to dust it with some additional coconut flakes and add a few pieces of Raffaello on top.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- Make sure you are using dried unsweetened coconut flakes. Do not use the sweetened kind as they are too wet and too sweet. Unsweetened coconut flakes are also called coconut flour or macaron coconut.
- After cutting, place a piece of plastic wrap across the exposed area of the cake and refrigerate it this way. This will prevent the cake from drying out.
- This recipe called for blanched almonds. They can be found at most grocery stores in the baking aisle. If you can’t find them they are easy to blanch yourself.
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