Gubanca cake

Embark on a gourmet journey through the Goriška region, Posočje and Brda, where your taste buds will be treated to an unforgettable adventure of flavours. Let's try to make a cousin of Slovenian potica - Gubanca!

Prestigious elegance on a plate

If frtalja is an early party of herbs to start the day, gubanca is the elegant evening gala. This is not just any potica – it's a potica dressed to impress that has gone dancing with almonds from Bari, walnuts from Carnia and pine nuts from Greece. And guess what? You can also find all these rich ingredients in the Goriška region.

It is said that gubanca used to grace the tables of rich families, while the poor had to make do with the more modest potica.

Every housewife has her own little baking secrets, which she jealously guards and passes down from generation to generation. Photo: evgeyataman/Depositphotos.com

First, prepare the butter pastry or filo pastry dough using your favourite recipe. Then pay attention to what matters most: the filling and the method.

The origins of gubana still remain without a precise date. The oldest evidence dates back to the 16th century. Photo: wikipedia
The basic ingredients of the gubana filling are chopped walnuts, sultanas softened in schnapps, pine nuts and sugar-. Photo: Davide Degano/Benečija.eu
With its snail-like shape, it is a cousin of Slovenian potica. Photo: kuhnapato archive

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Filling:

1 egg
165 g raisins (soaked in rum – why not?)
250 g ground walnuts
250 g ground almonds
100 g candied fruit
40 g ground pine nuts
150 g sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
50 g chopped dark chocolate (because chocolate is always a good idea)
50 ml white wine
a pinch of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon

It's a symbol of prosperity and good wishes for its inhabitants. It is prepared during the holidays, especially at Christmas and Epiphany. Photo: wikipedia

Method:

Soak the raisins in rum – and if there's any left, you can toast with it!
Mix the walnuts, almonds, pine nuts and candied fruit into a harmonious mixture.
Complete the filling by adding the sugar, spices, chocolate and wine. Mix it all together. Resist the temptation to eat it right away!
Roll out the dough and fill it with the filling – then roll it up tightly as if guarding the world's best kept secret and shape it into a spiral.
Brush the spiral with beaten egg and bake at 180°C until the kitchen is filled with an aroma that will attract your neighbours.

Dust the gubanca with powdered sugar and get ready to impress your guests!