Yana Asheri with the Bratislava Coronation Dessert for 2024. (source: SITA)
Bratislava has been commemorating its almost 300-year-long tradition of coronations every summer for decades now. This year the Bratislava Coronation Days, scheduled for mid August, will boast a new facet: an official Bratislava Coronation Dessert.
“Our intention is to bring the strong tradition and the period associated with the coronations into the present,” said Vladimír Grežo, chairman of the board of the Bratislava Tourist Board (BTB), which manages the event. “For me, it is also a way to encourage tourism.”
The Bratislava Coronation Dessert for this year is a modern take on a carrot cake. It was designed by Yana Asheri, who runs the Asheri patisserie on Záhradnícka Street, and was chosen by means of a competition.
When developing the dessert, she took inspiration from traditional carrot cake, which is very popular in Slovakia. But she dressed it up in a more modern style.
“Compared to the classic carrot cake, it is lighter, airier and, thanks to the addition of mandarins, its taste is fresher,” Asheri told The Slovak Spectator, adding that in terms of preparation technology it belongs to the category of so-called French mousse desserts.
The competition
The process began with a contest organised jointly by the BTB and the Gourmet Club of Slovakia. Top pastry chefs operating in the capital competed to offer their best desserts, with the aim of having theirs designated the official coronation dessert of Bratislava. The winning dessert is being promoted as the Bratislava Coronation Dessert throughout 2024.
