One of the first things that strike you about this cake is its name. Strange, right? Supposedly the recipe has been wafting about for half a century or so, fulfilling women’s desires with its luscious texture and sweet layers of cake, jam and marshmallow-like meringue.

Is it exclusively Croatian? That I’m not so sure of, but when it also goes by the names  –  ženske želje and ženske mužice – it seems to be prevalent in that part of Eastern Europe.

The layers of the cake are relatively easy to construct. There’s a soft and moist cake layer at the bottom, a generous topping of jam that’s baked onto it, then the whole thing is topped with meringue before being baked again. Triple baked, yet ever-so-moist.

I’ve adapted the recipe by incorporating vanilla and lemon zest in the cake batter. Two flavours that I was surprised weren’t there in the first place.

Every recipe I’ve seen has plain meringue on top. That’s all fine, but if the cake is all about ladies whims or desires, why not add a little more “femme” factor by making it pink with jam and a few drops of colour?

A final flourish of powdered sugar and flower petals and it’s ready to dive into. Just be gentle when transferring the cake onto a serving dish – my clumsy heavy-handedness split the cake in two!

Print Recipe

Damen kapric {ladies whim}

Elegant, dainty and delicious - this Damen kapric has some serious femme factor.

Course

Dessert

Cuisine

Croatian

Servings

servings

Ingredients

Batter

• 250 g butter softened
• 60 g caster sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 lemon zest only, finely grated
• 60 ml milk (¼ cup)
• 250 g plain flour
• 250 g mixed berry jam

Topping

• 5 egg whites at room temperature
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 250 g caster sugar
• 4 tbsp jam without any pieces of fruit
• 5 drops pink food colouring

Course Dessert Cuisine Croatian Servings servings Ingredients Batter 250 g butter softened 60 g caster sugar 5 egg yolks 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 lemon zest only, finely grated 60 ml milk (¼ cup) 250 g plain flour 250 g mixed berry jam Topping 5 egg whites at room temperature 1 tbsp lemon juice 250 g caster sugar 4 tbsp jam without any pieces of fruit 5 drops pink food colouring

Instructions

Batter

1. Preheat oven to 180 °C. Grease and line a 22 cm springform tin.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the egg yolks, vanilla and lemon zest and beat until combined. Gradually add the milk, beating well as it incorporates.
3. Stir the flour into the butter mixture until a thick batter forms. Scrape the batter into the prepared springform tin, smooth the top and bake for 20 minutes.
4. Remove the cake from the oven and spread the top evenly with the jam. Put it back into the oven for 10 minutes while you make the meringue topping.

Topping

1. Whisk the egg whites and lemon juice until soft peaks form. Add the caster sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk for about 5 minutes once the last of the sugar has been used.
2. Take half a cup of the meringue and combine it with the 4 tablespoons of jam and food colouring. Stir well. Gently fold the remaining meringue into the coloured mixture, stirring 3 or 4 times. Don't over mix it as you want to retain the streaks through the meringue.
3. When the cake comes out of the oven, reduce the heat to 150°C.
4. Pipe the meringue onto the hot cake, put it back into the oven for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat. Leave the cake in the oven until it has cooled completely and the meringue has set and is dry on the surface.
5. Dust generously with icing sugar and serve with double cream. Personally I think it's best eaten at room temperature, or slightly warm.

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