Osterchueche mit Weggli
There are many versions of this popular Swiss Easter cake (also called Osterfladen) filled with everything from rice to millet.
This version is filled with bread.
According to the Kulinarisches Erbe, it's possible that some form of Easter cake existed as far back as 962, but it's hard to know how close that cake is to the one eaten today. The first published recipes come from the 16th century—at this time a cake similar to Osterfladen was described, but not linked to Easter, and Easter cakes were mentioned, but not their exact ingredients.
Flavourings are in the cinnamon/nutmeg realm of spices, with some recipes, like the version from the Bernerisches Koch-Büchlein from 1749, using rosewater and wine to flavour the cake.
Today the cake is found in the weeks before Easter in most Swiss bakeries, and the filling tends toward rice or semolina (my recipe for a semolina version here).
However, the idea of a bread pudding-like filling, plus the added bonus of using up leftover bread, made me keen to try this version that uses Weggli, little Swiss milk buns, as its innards.
For the Weggli filling, I consulted Marianne Kaltenbach’s classic Swiss cookbook, Aus Schweizer Küchen.
For the pastry:
200 g flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
the zest of half a lemon
80 g cold butter
125 ml water
For the filling:
4 Weggli, (or about 250 g soft white bread)
2 tbsp butter
250 ml milk
the zest and juice of half a lemon
100 g sugar
100 g ground almonds
100 ml quark or sour cream
100 g raisins
4 eggs
icing sugar, to decorate
First make the pastry.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest. Add the cold butter in pieces and rub into the flour mixture with your fingers until you have small flakes.
Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the water. Mix this gently until a dough forms. Do not overwork the dough or it will become tough.
Press the dough into a disc, wrap with plastic, and let cool in the fridge for at least an hour.
Roll out your dough and line a 26 cm (10 inch) round tart pan. Keep the tart shell in the freezer until you have the filling ready.
Now, make the filling.
Cut the bread in to small cubes.
In a large frying pan, melt the butter and when it is bubbling add the bread and fry it for a couple of minutes, until the bread has turned slightly golden. Transfer the bread to a large bowl.
Meanwhile, in a separate pot, warm the milk until boiling. Pour this over the bread then add the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, ground almonds, sour cream, and raisins, and mix well. Leave this to cool for about 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F / gas mark 4.
Using a separate bowl and an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until they are stiff and glossy.
Once the bread mixture has cooled, mix in the yolks, then gently fold in the whites.
Spread this filling over the pastry base.
Bake for about 40 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and the bottom is baked through.
Let the tart cool and then decorate with icing sugar. You can dust the whole top, or make a template out of wax or parchment paper.
To save time, you can use use store-bought dough like Kuchenteig/Pâte Brisée/Pasta per Crostate to line your pan.
I like to plump my raisins in advance. You can use booze or tea to do this, just cover the raisins in the liquid and let them sit for an hour or overnight. Strain and add to the recipe as directed.
One way to make a template is to trace cookie cutters.
