Icy Wind That Blows in Summer

If you haven't encountered this heavenly piece of confection art, you're missing out much. When you cut it and see all those beautiful layers inside, you'll be impressed, but probably also discouraged from attempting to make it yourself. Cool, light, fluffy, creamy, fruity and yummy, the icy wind is the ultimate summer treat, easily adjusted to any seasonal fruits, and impossible to resist. Don't worry, you can find it in most pastry shops throughout the city.

“Picture-perfect icy wind cake, with three kinds of fruit.” Image credit: Croatia Honestly

Many different cuisines like to combine fruits and egg white based ingredients to make desserts for hot days – just think of Pavlova or Eton mess. Meringue is maybe not so widely used here in Zagreb, but it plays a vital role in the icy wind cake. Although this cake, as we know it, is very typical for Croatia, its origins may be found somewhere else. Some point to the outdated Austrian dessert from the glorious days of the Habsburg Monarchy called Spanische Windtorte. This complex creation consists of layers of meringue, whipped cream and fresh berries. We don't know exactly when and how the Croatian version entered the scene, but it definitely brought an improvement and made history, at least locally. The icy wind is more compact and creamy, it doesn't crumble and it's easier to “build” it. Because making this cake is definitely like serious construction work. And yet, it allows room for creativity and there are many different styles out there – from very messy but nonetheless tasty ones to perfectly shaped aesthetic masterpieces.

“What you get when you give an icy wind cake challenge to a professional chef.” Image credit: Chef Tomica

Egg yolks are as important as egg whites in this case. Of course, using free-range eggs from a local farm is a very good thing. Yolks are used to make a rich yellow custard cream, with sugar, milk and flour. This will be the cement to bind all the components together. But that's not all – there's lots of whipped cream, too. Basically, you build a layer upon layer, using meringue, custard cream, fresh fruits and whipped cream, and then refrigerate the cake until everything firms up. The meringue will become beautifully soft and chewy, and chilled fresh fruit brings flavours, juiciness and refreshment. There are chocolate versions, and there are versions with winter fruits, like bananas, tangerines, or kiwi. However, the icy wind with fresh berries is a match made in heaven. Strawberries come first and the strawberry version of the cake is a classic. Try googling images for “ledeni vjetar” and almost all top hits will be strawberries. In May and June, expect a lot of patisseries flashing it proudly in their display windows. Raspberries, blueberries and blackberries come next, and they are often used together, as a mix, for a proper summer icy wind experience.

“One of the best ways to use fresh seasonal strawberries.” Image credit: Cukeraj

The icy wind is so popular and universally loved that it’s really hard to miss it. I love the fact that you can find old-school versions with lots of fruit and decorations in traditional cake shops, while trendy downtown patisseries offer more modern and minimalistic incarnations of the same recipe. Some good places in the centre of Zagreb where you can taste your first (but definitely not the last) icy wind cake are Torte i to in Centar Kaptol mall and Cukeraj in Petrinjska Street. Prepare to be swept away!

“This is what it looks like when the icy wind meets chocolate.” Image credit: Cukeraj

Header image credit: Taste of Croatia

Author: Morana Zibar / Taste of Croatia