Bukëzare is one of the simplest Albanian traditional desserts. With so few ingredients needed, it is something you can cook with no ahead-of-time preparations needed and always look like the perfect host/hostess.

Indeed, it represents so good Albanian desserts: not too many ingredients, and a bit of syrup added in the end. You can customize the amount of sweetness according to your taste, as well as how much syrup you want. I like my slice to be moist but not too damp. Yum!

This is actually a recipe which makes a comeback from our original blog Kiki’s Book of Dreams. If you are a long-time follower you can spot the difference in presentation, but the deliciousness remains the same! Keep reading and cooking with us!

• The syrup quantity used for the bukëzare is a personal choice. Some people prefer just a little bit of syrup and some like their slice to float in it.

Method:

Prepare the syrup by placing water and sugar in a medium size pot.

Let the liquid simmer for 3 minutes and then let it cool down to room temperature.

Heat the oven at 180°C.

Put the egg whites in a big bowl and start whisking with an electric whisker until they form a creamy mass which creates soft peaks. Be careful not to over-whisk.

Add the egg yolks and whisk until a homogenous mass is created.

*Important step for the recipe:

Add salt along with the sugar and whisk until the sugar is dissolved. This will give to bukëzare e special taste, make it soft and a little elastic (important especially if you prefer to have it without syrup). Make sure to be using a big bowl because the mass will triple.

Add flour and baking powder and whisk until everything is mixed together. Put the mass in a baking tray sprayed beforehand with baking spray or smeared with oil or butter.

Bake bukëzare until completely done (when you stick a tooth pick in it, it comes out clean). Remove from oven and let sit in room temperature.

Cut the dessert as to your desire and add the lukewarm syrup, the quantity is up to you.

Photography by Eranda Janku