Traditional cake from a place called Ston, Croatia. Mali Ston or Little Ston, a tiny little village at the end of the isthmus that connects the Pelješac Peninsula with the mainland of the Dalmatian coast.

Historically, like many cakes, Stonska Torta was reserved for special festivities like Christmas, Easter, and weddings, as cakes were considered a luxury. Centuries ago when this cake was born, they used pasta for the filling to economize on ingredients.

Travel tip: This little village is also known for the best oysters at the Adriatic!

Ingredients

For the dough

• 450 g (3 cups) all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1-3 tbsp water

For the filling

• 500 g (5 cup) dried penne or ziti pasta
• 300 g (1 1/2 cup) granulated sugar
• 300 g (1 1/2 cup) ground almonds
• 100 g (1/3 cup) bread crumbs
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 6 large eggs
• Zest of one lemon
• 10 g vanilla sugar or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 250 g (1 cup) unsalted butter

For the garnish

• 2 tbsp powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 180 °C (355 °F).
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour with salt.
3. In a small bowl whisk the eggs, olive oil and vinegar.
4. Slowly add the olive oil mixture to the flour, stirring gently with a wooden spoon or spatula. Do not over-work the mixture.
5. Add water, one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture loosely comes together.
6. Let it rest covered with a slightly damp kitchen towel.
7. Cook the pasta in boiling unsalted water as instructed on package for al dente.
8. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine the sugar, almond meal, bread crumbs, and cinnamon.
9. In another small bowl, beat the eggs slightly with the lemon zest and vanilla extract.
10. Grease and dust with flour a spring-form cake pan.
11. Roll out dough to a circle and place it into the pan, letting the extra dough drape over the sides of the pan.
12. Spread a handful of well-drained cooked pasta across the bottom.
13. Sprinkle with two large handfuls of the almond meal mixture.
14. Pour 1/2 cup of the egg mixture over the top and sprinkle with 1/3 of the butter pieces.
15. Repeat for all layers to the top or until the ingredients are used up.
16. After each addition, tap the pan down gently to settle all the layers.
17. Trim the excess dough from the sides of the pan.
18. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until crust is slightly brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.
19. Invert the cake onto a serving platter.
20. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

What is an old traditional cake from the place you are from?