I haven’t been able to get to Sviniṭa this year to get figs. I was glad, though, that the figs came to Braşov. It was short-lived, however. It rained over them on the terrace and I wasn’t able to process them, so Marcel saved precisely 

350g figs

I also needed—

90ml water

175g sugar

the juice from half a lemon

How to make the preserves?

Boil the water and the sugar in a pan, on low heat, until the sugar dissolves.

Meanwhile, wash the figs and cut their tails. Add them whole in the already hot liquid.

After 20 minutes, squeeze the lemon half, all the while removing the foam from the mix as often as possible. 

Boil the preserves for 20 minutes more. Turn the heat off. Let the preserves cool a bit and pour it into a 300g jar. It’s all I got.

I was still grateful for my first fig preserves and its deliciousness! ♥

This year, in the Danube Delta, I serendipitously met Vero. I had been looking for a classic Romanian brownie recipe for a while. I found that, too. J I tasted this cake made by her and then she gently gave me the recipe.

I cut the ingredient amounts in half, I used butter instead of oil and I added less preserves than in the original recipe (my cherry preserves was sweet enough).

Baking pan: 34 x 24 cm | 12 slices

[I like my slices as flat as possible]

260g flour

120g sugar

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder with vinegar poured over it

20g cocoa powder

60g butter (room temperature) or oil

1 drop of rum essence

250ml water

55g walnuts

1/3 jar of preserves [here is a possible recipe]

Mix the flour, the sugar, the baking powder with vinegar poured over it, the cocoa powder [and I’m officially left without any cocoa powder brought from Brazil!], the butter, the rum essence, and the water. Then, grind the walnuts and add them into the batter and then pour the latter into the buttered and floured baking pan.

Lastly, add tablespoons of preserves from place to place and cover the preserves with batter.   

As I like my Romanian brownie slices moist, I only baked the cake for 20 minutes, in the preheated oven at 180°C.

Thank you, dear Vero! The cake was a success and more people can bake it and enjoy it from now on! ♥