Name: Londoneri
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 2 h 10 min
Yield: 24 bars
Cuisine: Serbian cuisine
Ingredients: 250 g plain wheat flour, sifted; 140 g unsalted butter, cold, diced; 80 g granulated sugar; 4 egg yolks; 5 g baking powder; 2 g fine salt; 1 lemon, finely grated zest only; 150 g apricot jam, smooth, loosened by stirring; 4 egg whites; 150 g granulated sugar; 150 g walnuts, finely ground; 60 g walnuts, roughly chopped

Yield 24 bars

Preparation 30 minutes

Cooking 40 minutes

Passive 60 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Londoneri with Apricot Jam and Walnut Meringue

Londoneri sit somewhere between a tray cake, a jam bar and a meringue-topped walnut slice. Their character comes from contrast rather than from a long ingredient list: the base should be short and crumbly, the jam should give a clean acidic seam, and the top should taste unmistakably of walnuts while remaining lighter than a dense nut paste. Recipes carrying the name circulate widely through home-baking traditions in the former Yugoslav region, but the name itself is not evidence of an English origin. What matters in the kitchen is the recognisable layered construction.

The base is handled as shortcrust rather than sponge cake. Cold butter is rubbed into flour, then sugar, yolks and lemon zest bring the dough together. That fat-first mixing limits gluten and gives a clean bite. A thirty-minute chill is useful because it lets the butter firm again and makes the slab easier to roll evenly into the tin. The first bake is deliberately restrained: it dries the surface and starts the edge without fully browning the base, which still has another twenty-five minutes in the oven after the topping goes on.

Apricot jam is used here because its acidity cuts through both butter and walnuts. It is stirred smooth and spread thinly over the warm base. Too much jam can make the middle slide when cut; too little loses the bright line that separates pastry from meringue. The walnut topping is a true egg-white foam. Sugar is added gradually, then finely ground walnuts are folded in so the foam keeps enough air to bake light. Chopped walnuts on the surface reinforce the nut texture without turning the whole layer heavy.

The second bake is lower and gentler than the first. The goal is not a tall glossy pavlova centre but a fully cooked walnut meringue that becomes dry at the surface and set underneath. The edge of the pan is the most useful place to check: a small cut should show a coherent foam with no loose raw egg-white mixture. Cooling is part of the structure. Warm jam and meringue tear easily, while a cooled slab gives cleaner bars and a more obvious distinction between the three layers.

Londoneri are best portioned small. A bar of about 45 g has enough walnut richness to feel complete without needing frosting, cream or garnish. The cake can be baked a day ahead, but it should be covered only after it is fully cool so trapped steam does not soften the top. Served at cool room temperature, the base is friable, the jam stays supple and the walnut layer keeps its thin crisp surface.

Practical

ControlPart-bake only until the base loses its raw sheen; a deeply browned base will be dry after the second bake.
ControlAdd sugar gradually to the whites so the meringue becomes glossy before the walnuts are folded in.
ControlSpread the jam while the base is warm enough to take a thin even layer but not so hot that it liquefies completely.

Ingredients

Shortcrust base

250 g plain wheat flour, sifted
140 g unsalted butter, cold, diced
80 g granulated sugar
4 egg yolks
5 g baking powder
2 g fine salt
1 lemon, finely grated zest only

Jam and walnut meringue

150 g apricot jam, smooth, loosened by stirring
4 egg whites
150 g granulated sugar
150 g walnuts, finely ground
60 g walnuts, roughly chopped

Directions

Base

Make the shortcrust doughRub the flour, baking powder, salt and cold butter to coarse crumbs, then add 80 g sugar, the 4 egg yolks and the zest of 1 lemon; press together only until an even dough forms. The dough is ready when it holds together without dry flour yet still feels short rather than elastic.
Chill the doughFlatten the dough into a rectangle, cover it and rest it in the refrigerator. The rested dough should feel firm enough to roll without smearing butter across the work surface.
Line the baking tinPreheat the oven to 175 °C. Roll the chilled dough to fit a 22 × 37 cm lined tin and press the edges level. The raw base should be an even layer with no visibly thick corners.
Part-bake the baseBake the base on the centre rack at 175 °C. The base is ready for the topping when the surface looks dry and the outer edge has only begun to turn pale gold.

Walnut topping and finish

Whip the walnut meringueWhip the 4 egg whites to soft peaks; add 150 g sugar gradually and continue until glossy, then fold in 150 g ground walnuts. The meringue is glossy and holds a distinct peak, while the folded walnuts remain evenly suspended.
Layer the jam and toppingSpread 150 g apricot jam over the warm base, cover with the walnut meringue, and scatter 60 g chopped walnuts evenly over the surface. The jam reaches the corners in a thin layer and the meringue covers it without exposed patches.
Bake the walnut layerReturn the tin to the oven and bake at 150 °C until the meringue is fully set rather than wet beneath the walnut crust. The walnut meringue is baked through when the top is dry to a light touch and a cut at the edge shows no loose raw egg-white foam.
Cool before cuttingSet the tin on a rack and cool before cutting into 24 bars. The bars are ready to cut cleanly when the topping has firmed and the jam no longer flows at the cut edge.

Practical

Serving and timing

Cut the cooled slab into 24 narrow bars. A serrated knife is unnecessary; a sharp thin blade wiped between cuts gives a cleaner jam edge. Serve at cool room temperature so the butter base is not refrigerator-hard.

Make-ahead and storage

Bake the full slab a day ahead if useful. Once completely cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Bring only the portions needed for serving out of the refrigerator so repeated warming and chilling does not soften the meringue.

Substitution

Smooth plum jam can replace apricot jam at the same 150 g weight. It makes a darker, deeper fruit layer and usually tastes less bright, but it still supplies the moisture and acidity needed between pastry and walnut topping.

Control points

Base turns toughGuidance: The dough was kneaded after it had already come together.Adjustment: Mix only until no dry flour remains and chill before rolling.
Meringue weeps under the walnut layerGuidance: Sugar was added too quickly or the second bake ended while the centre was still wet.Adjustment: Add sugar gradually and bake until the edge shows a set, dry foam rather than loose egg white.

Nutrition

Serving size1 bar, about 45 g
Calories220 kcal
Carbohydrates24 g
Protein4 g
Fat12 g
Fibre1 g
Sodium90 mg

These figures are approximate and vary with ingredient brands, edible yield, moisture loss, trimming, absorption and portion size.

Allergens and food safety

Contains wheat/gluten, egg, milk and walnuts. Use clean equipment for the egg whites and avoid contact between raw egg and ready-to-eat surfaces. The walnut meringue must be baked until no loose raw egg-white mixture remains.

FAQ

Should Londoneri be cut hot?

Some household methods cut the slab warm to reduce surface cracking. For cleaner layers, cool the slab fully, then use a sharp knife. Fine cracks in the meringue are normal and do not mean the topping failed.

Why part-bake the base?

The first bake sets the shortcrust enough to carry jam and meringue without becoming pasty. It also prevents the bottom from depending entirely on the lower-temperature finishing bake.

Result: Londoneri are layered bars built on a short, buttery base, a thin tart-sweet jam layer and a walnut meringue that dries to a delicate crust while staying tender beneath.

Key: Part-bake only until the base loses its raw sheen; a deeply browned base will be dry after the second bake.