This torta is unlike any other cake I’ve ever tried. It’s popular in the Balkans, and there are numerous ways to make it. It’s usually always filled with candy, dried fruit, nuts, and ground cookies. When my friend, Vesna, was telling me about this cake last fall and showed me the picture of the one she made, I’ve been wanting to make this cake ever since. I decided to make this cake for a really nice young lady I work with who’s having a birthday. Of course, I’ve saved several pieces for me and Kemal to nibble on. 
Here’s a close-up picture where you can see the candy and walnuts:
It’s very dense and sweet…almost like an iced brownie but with a twist.
Vesna makes this cake with melted chocolate chips on the top, but since I didn’t have enough chocolate chips, I decided to change the recipe a little and drizzle the top of the cake with melted butterscotch instead of chocolate.
It’s a really easy cake to make, and one that’s good to make in warm weather when you don’t feel like heating up the oven. It’s also a cake that goes a long way. Because the cake is very sweet and rich, you only need to eat a little of it to feel satisfied. It’s also a cake you can make ahead and freeze so if you have unexpected guests, just pull it out of the freezer, and 30 minutes later you can serve a lovely homemade dessert with your coffee.
Kasato Torta (Basically a No-Bake Brownie)
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 sticks butter
- 3/4 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 1 1/2 cups crushed honey graham crackers
- 3/4 cups ground walnuts
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- 3/4 cups fruit gels (any flavor), diced
- 3/4 cups raisins
- 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips
- 2 cups butterscotch chips
- 4 1/2 tsp. Ener-G-Egg Replacer
- 6 tsp. Wilton Meringue Powder
- 12 tbsp. water
- oil
Note: My friend makes this cake with raw eggs instead of the egg replacer and meringue powder. While I personally don’t have a problem eating raw eggs, I didn’t use them because I made this cake for a co-worker who was having a birthday.
Instructions:
- Place the butter on the counter top to soften.
- Grind 3/4 cups of walnuts, and then chop 1/3 cup of walnuts.
- Dice the fruit gels.
- Crush the graham crackers by placing them in a plastic bag and crushing them with a rolling pin.
- After the butter has softened, beat it with an electric mixer.
- Add 1/2 cup of confectioner’s sugar to the butter and mix until blended.
- Mix the Ener-G-Egg Replacer with 6 tbsp. water, and then add it to the sugar and butter.
- Melt the chocolate chips on low heat, and add it to the sugar, butter, and egg replacer. Mix well.
- Then add the crushed and chopped walnuts, the graham crackers, raisins, and diced fruit gels to the sugar/butter/chocolate/egg replacer, mixing with a spoon.
- Set the sweet mixture aside.
- Mix the meringue powder with 6 tbsp. of water, and then beat it with an electric mixer until it gets fluffy.
- Add 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar to the meringue powder, beating until it’s well combined.
- Now add the meringue powder/confectioner’s sugar mixture to the sweet chocolaty mixture you just made, blending well.
- Pour the mixture into a baking dish. I used a square Springform pan, but you can really use any kind of baking pan you like.
- Put 2 cups butterscotch chips into a small sauce pan, and then add enough oil to the pan until the butterscotch chips are covered by the oil.
- Melt on low heat.
- When the butterscotch chips are melted, pour it over the cake, spreading it evenly with a knife or spatula.
- Refrigerate.
- Serve cold. You can freeze any leftovers.
