The Catalan TableIngredients
Servings:
5
Ingredients
- 400 gsweet ham - sliced neither very thin nor very thick
- 12 tallsHavarti cheese
- 9 slicessliced bread
- 3 egg for beating and spreading on slices of bread
- white sugar
- 1 escarole
- 3 carrots
- PLUM-CAKE type sponge cake
Nutritional Information
Per Serving (Approx.)
Calories
664 kcal
Protein
22 g
Fat
8 g
Carbohydrates
124 g
Disclaimer: These values are estimates based on ingredient types and may not be precise.
Step-by-step Guide
Plum-Cake Type Batter
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and lightly grease the loaf pan with butter or oil, ensuring all surfaces are covered.
- In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients, such as the flour, baking powder, and salt, until well combined.
- In another bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until you achieve a fluffy, light-colored mixture.
- Next, add the melted butter to the egg and sugar mixture, stirring gently until fully integrated.
- Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, mixing until no traces of flour remain, but without overbeating.
- Pour the batter into the prepared mold, smoothing the top with a spatula to ensure even baking.
- Bake the mold in the preheated oven for approximately 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the plum cake to cool in the mold for 10 minutes before unmolding and placing it on a rack to complete cooling.
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 180 ºC, ensuring it is well-heated before placing the dish inside.
- Remove the crust from the slices of sandwich bread, leaving only the soft crumb part.
- Trim the slices of bread so that they fit exactly to the width of the mold you will be using.
- Generously grease the walls and bottom of the mold with butter to prevent the cake from sticking.
- Sprinkle a bit of sugar over the bottom of the mold, creating a slightly sweet and caramelized base.
- Line the entire mold, both the base and the sides, with slices of cooked ham so that each slice is half inside and half hanging outside the edges of the mold. This will allow you to completely cover the cake once finished.
- Beat the 3 eggs with a pinch of salt until you achieve a homogeneous mixture.
- Submerge the slices of bread in the beaten egg and place them at the bottom of the mold to form a compact base.
- Place some slices of cheese on this bread base and, on top, a few slices of ham covering the surface.
- Repeat the process with a second layer of bread slices submerged in the beaten egg. Then, add the cheese and the ham.
- Continue with the same process until the mold is filled, ensuring to always finish with a layer of cheese on top.
- Finally, cover the cake with the slices of ham that hang outside the mold, first folding those on the long sides, then those on the short sides to ensure complete coverage.
- Brush this final layer of ham with beaten egg to achieve a shiny and flavorful finish.
- Bake the cake at 180 ºC for 20-25 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning while cooking.
- Once cooked, remove the cake from the mold and place it on a tray. Garnish with chopped endive and grated carrot around it to add freshness.
- Serve the cake hot to enjoy all its flavor and texture.
Recommendations & Tricks
- Ensure that the bread loaf is fresh and of good quality so it turns out crispier and more flavorful when browning it in the pan.
- When beating the eggs to coat the slices of bread, add a little milk to make them fluffier and help the bread absorb the flavor better.
- To achieve well-melted and even cheese without burning the bread, cook the sandwich over medium-low heat and cover the pan to retain the heat.