Category: Polish Cakes

Rhubarb & Custard Tart

  • I came across an English recipe for a Rhubarb & Custart tart, which I thought I could adapt to make it more Polish.
  • It takes many steps and takes a while to make.
  • *
  • It is easier to make the rhubarb, crumble and the budyń earlier.
  • 1 – The base is made from shortcrust pastry, which is baked blind.
  • 2 – The next layer is budyń – Polish custard.
  • 3 – The 3rd layer is baked rhubarb with sugar – it is sieved so you have a syrup to add to the finished tart.
  • 4 – The 4th layer is kruszonka – a crumble, which is baked seperately and then sprinkled on top.
  • I thought this crumble cooked seperately worked very well and will write a post about this soon.
  • INGREDIENTS – rhubarb
  • 400g rhubarb
  • 60g granulated sugar
  • METHOD
  • Pre – heat the oven to GM3 – 160 0 C.
  • Cut the rhubarb into 4cm pieces.
  • Place in a shallow roasting dish
  • Cook with the sugar for around 30 minutes.
  • Leave to cool.
  • Place in a large fine sieve.
  • Collect the syrup to use at the end when serving.
  • INGREDIENTS – budyń
  • 500 ml milk
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
    • 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
  • 2 – 3 tablespoons of potato flour
  • 3 yolks
  • METHOD
  • Mix some of the milk with the potato flour.
  • Heat the rest of the milk with the sugar in a saucepan.
  • Add the buter and stir.
  • Pour this over the milk and potato flour mixture.
  • Stir well.
  • Put this all back in the saucepan and heat with stirring until you have a thick mixture.
  • Add the yolks 1 by 1 with stirring until even and thick.
  • Leave this to cool completely before using.
  • INGREDIENTS – kruszonka crumble
  • 100g plain flour
  • 70g butter – cold
  • 70g granulated sugar
  • METHOD
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM6 – 200oC.
  • Mix butter with flour until the mix is like breadcrumbs.
  • Stir in the sugar.
  • Spread on a baking sheet.
  • Bake for around 30 minutes – stirring ocasionally.
  • It should be golden and crunchy.
  • NOTE – if you have too much store the excess in an airtight box.
  • INGREDIENTS – shortcrust pastry made with 250g plain flour.
  • METHOD
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM6 -200 0C.
  • Grease a loose bottomed 21cm tart tin.
  • Roll out the pastry thinly and line the tin.
  • Remove the excess.
  • Prick the base with a fork.
  • Cover with baking paper and baking beans.
  • Place the tin on a baking sheet.
  • Bake for 12 minutes.
  • Remove the beans and the baking paper and bake for another few minutes.
  • Leave to cool.
  • Turn the oven down to GM4 – 180 0 C.
  • Place a thick layer of budyń in the baked tart pastry ( if you have some left over – save it for other desserts).
  • Place a layer of the cooked rhubarb over the budyń.
  • Bake for around 15 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and sprinkle the kruszonka over the top.
  • Leave to cool completly before serving.
  • You can serve with some of the rhubarb juice.

Rhubarb Revisited

  • Rheum rhabarbarum is the Latin name for rhubarb   –  in Polish  it is rabarbar.
  • It is a plant that has its origins in China, Mongolia & Siberia – its roots survive the cold!
  • Rhubarb roots have been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years.
  • The plant arrived in Europe via Venice in the 14th century  having been brought  from China  along the Silk Road.
  • The leaves are poisonous  to humans as they contain large quantities of oxalic acid and other toxins.
  • The stems however can be eaten safely, although they do contain a little oxalic acid but their tartness is due mainly  to malic acid which is also found in sour green apples.
  • Rhubarb stems were first eaten in England in the 17th century.
  • In 1820 the rhubarb plant was taken over to the USA.
  • I live in West Yorkshire –  just outside what is called the Rhubarb Triangle  of Wakefield, Leeds & Morley   – where rhubarb is grown in forcing sheds (in darkness) on a commercial scale.
  • *
  • I have rhubarb growing in my garden.
  • The rhubarb is springing up and I have been looking for new recipes for it.
  • So far I have found several new recipes, which I will be trying out soon.
  • I thought I would look at recipes I have already posted and there are quite a few.
  • This post show links to recipes I have already posted.
  • It will save you searching.
  • Cake with Rhubarb
  • Cheesecake with Rhubarb
  • Easy Rhubarb Cake
  • Meringue Cake with Rhubarb
  • Placek with Rhubarb & Meringue
  • Pleśniak with RhubarPork with Rhuba
  • Pork with Rhubarb
  • Rhubarb Cake
  • Rhubarb & Custard Cake
  • Rhubarb & Date Cake
  • Rhubarb Soup – 1
  • Rhubarb Soup – 2
  • Rhubarb Yeast Buns

Kruszonka – Crumble Mix

  • Kruszonka – comes from the Polish verb kruszic – to crush.
  • Crumble – comes from the English verb to crumble –  make into small pieces.
  • Similar verbs but not from the same origin.
  • Stresusel – come from the German verb – to sprinkle.
  • These ingredients are used on top of many cakes in Poland and Germany and on the top of a sweet fruit pudding in England.
  • *
  • Until recently I always used half the amount of butter as flour to make the kruszonka – crumbs.
  • However recently I found a different proportion with a higher fat ratio and the results are wonderful – much more crunchy.
  • You have to be careful and have the oven hot to start with and cook this at GM 5 or GM 6 or the butter will all melt.

Ingredients 

  • 125g plain flour
  • 100g butter
  • 80g – 100g granulated sugar 
  • *
  • This is the ratio I have used in my recent recipes and it is super.
  • I have many older recipes with a kruszonka topping.
  • When I make these again I will try out these ‘new’ proportions.
  • I made a simple apple crumple using these proportions with 4-5 large cooking apples.
  • My mama would have called this szarlotka.

Method

  • Peel and core and part cook the apples first.
  • Leave them to cool – best if cold – you could do this much earlier.
  • Put the apples into an oven proof dish.
  • Pre-heat the oven at GM5.
  • Add the topping.
  • Bake for around 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Plum & Budyń Tort

  • It is my 700th post and the first for 2026.
  • So a Happy New Year to everyone.
  • This is a richer take on the last post of a simple apple cake.
  • Technically to be as a tort – it should have several layers but I am not an expert at cutting the sponges into halves.
  • Here 2 sponges – from 4 eggs, butter, sugar and flour – are sandwiched together with a plum- jam mixture and budyń made with 500ml of milk.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 circles(20/21cm in diameter) of sponge cake made from 4 eggs and the equivalent weight of butter, sugar and flour and a few drops of vanilla essence.
  • Around 370g of a sharp plum or plum and apple jam.
  • Juice of 1 lemon.
  • * 
  •  Budyń made with 500ml of milk – 3 egg yolks – 3 tablespoons of potato flour, 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of butter. 
  • *
  • All the ingredients need to be cool – even cold, so they do not run when put together.
  • *
  • Icing sugar to dust

METHOD

  • Put the jam and the juice of 1 lemon into a small saucepan and heat gently, mixing together to get a thick paste.
  • Leave to cool completly before using.
  • *
  • Spread the jam mixture  over the first round of the cake.
  • *
  • Spread the cold budyń over the jam mixture – do not take it quite to the edges.
  • *
  • Place the second round of cake over this, gently press it down.
  • Dust this with icing sugar before serving.
  • Take care when cutting into the cake.

Kefirowe with Raspberries

  • I recently made a cake with raspberries on the top.
  • These tasted so good I thought I would go back to an earlier recipe with fruit and this time just use raspberries.
  • I will give the recipe again here for ease.

This cake made with kefir is lovely to make in summer or early autumn with fresh raspberries equally you can use frozen fruits later in the year.

Ingredients

  • 350g plain flour
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 175g of granulated sugar
  • 2eggs
  • 400ml of kefir*
  • 125ml of sunflower oil
  • Grated rind of 1 large orange
  • *
  • Around 300g of fresh raspberries OR
  • Frozen fruit should be part defrosted first
  • *
  • Icing sugar to dust – optional
  • *my tub of kefir was 350ml so I added 3 tablespoons of Greek style yoghurt.

Method

  • Grease and line with one piece of greaseproof a 32x22cm baking tray.
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180°C
  • Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
  • In another bowl mix the eggs, oil, kefir and rind together.
  • Pour the kefir mixture into the dry mixture.
  • With a wooden spoon or Danish whisk mix well together until you have an even thick batter.
  • Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin.
  • Place the fruit evenly over the top
  • Bake for 40 – 45 minutes.
  • Leave to cool in the tin on a wire cake rack.
  • *
  • Dust with icing sugar to serve – optional.

Royal Doulton – Counterpoint & Duchess – Bramble Rose tea plates.

Pleśniak with Rhubarb

  • I was wondering what to make with some rhubarb I had growing.
  • There was not a great deal so thought about my recipe for pleśniak but using rhubarb and my recipe for placek with rhubarb & meringue.
  • I used a plain layer of shortcrust type pastry –
  • Followed by one with cocoa powder –
  • Then a layer of cooked rhubarb –
  • Then a layer of meringue.
  • The 2 pastry layers are baked first –
  • Then the rhubarb layer and meringue layer put on top and baked.

INGREDIENTS

  • 350g plain flour
  • 175g butter
  • 2 tablespoons of icing sugar
  • Some cold water as needed.
  • *
  • 3 tablespoons of cocoa
  • 2 + 2 egg yolks
  •  
  • 4 whites x 200g icing sugar
  • *
  • Around 8 stalks of rhubarb
  • 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar

METHOD

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM2 – 150°C.
  • Chop the rhubarb into small pieces.
  • Mix with the sugar and place in a roasting tin.
  • Cook in the oven until the rhubarb is soft.
  • Leave to cool – this has to be cold before making the cake.
  • *
  • You can make this the evening before.
  • *****
  • Rub the butter into the flour until like breadcrumbs.
  • Add 2 tablespoons of icing sugar and mix.
  • Divide the mixture into two.
  • *
  • Mix the first half with 2 egg yolks and a little cold water to bring the dough together.
  • Do this gently – do not over mix.
  • Flatten this out into into a rough rectangle.
  • Place into a plastic bag and leave to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  • *
  • To the second half add the cocoa and mix.
  • Add 2 egg yolks and a little cold water to bring the dough together.
  • Do this gently – do not over mix.
  • Flatten this out into into a rough rectangle.
  • Place into a plastic bag and leave to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  • *
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM6- 200°C.
  • Grease and line 3 sides of  a 28 x 21 baking tine using one piece of baking paper.
  • Roll out the plain layer of pastry so it fits the base of the tin.
  • Place the dough into the tin – push out any pieces needed to fill the base.
  • Roll out the cocoa layer and place this on top.
  • Prick the top of the dough.
  • Bake for 30 – 35 minutes.
  • *
  • Leave to go cold.
  • Lower the oven to GM2 – 150°C.
  • *
  • Whisk the egg whites until stiff.
  • Add the icing sugar and whisk again till stiff.
  • *
  • Place the rhubarb over the cooked pastry.
  • Spread it out to near the edges.
  • *
  • Spread the meringue over the top of the rhubarb.
  • Take it to the edges to cover the cake.
  • Bake for around 1 hour.
  • *
  • Leave to cool in the tin.
  • Cut into squares to serve.

Duchess Bramble Rose tea plate.

Easy Rhubarb Cake

  • I only have a small amout of rhubarb growing this year – must be the hot dry Spring we are having.
  • I have based this cake on an easy apple cake I made a few years ago.
  • This is based on an American idea with just a free form base and slightly raised sides.
  • Two secrets to success are:
  • NOT have too much pastry and
  • NOT to have loads of filling.
  • Also it is better to use fruit which has been cooked but NOT a “mush”
  • The pastry should be rolled out until it is thin.

Ingredients – pastry

  • 200g flour
  • 100g butter
  • 1 egg yolk
  • Juice of 1 lemon and water or just cold water.
  • *
  • 1 egg yolk – use it all – for sealing
  • *
  • 1 egg white – beaten
  • 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar

Ingredients – filling

  • 250 – 350g rhubarb
  • 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method – filling

  • Cut the rhubarb into small chunks
  • Put the rhubarb into a shallow oven proof dish.
  • Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over it,
  • Set aside for around an hour.
  • Mix the fruit up with the sugar.
  • Put the dish into a pre-heated oven at GM2 – 150°C.
  • Cook gently for around 50 minutes.
  • NOTE – you are aiming for nearly cooked fruit – times may vary depending on the fruit.
  • Leave to cool completly.
  • Remove the fruit from the sugar mixture.
  • Heat the sugar mixture to remove some of the liquid.
  • Once again the amount will vary depending on the fruit.

Method – Pastry

  • Rub the butter into the flour until like breadcrumbs.
  • Add the egg yolk and lemon juice and mix to a soft dough.
  • Add more water sparingly if necessary.
  • *
  • Wrap in plastic and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  • *
  • Butter / Grease a large baking sheet.
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM6 – 200°C.
  • *
  • Roll out the pastry thinly until you have a rough circle around 25cm.
  • Place the pastry onto the sheet.
  • Brush the egg yolk over a circle round 25cm in diameter.
  • Pile up the rhubarb onto the circle.
  • Dripple the sugar syrup over the top.
  • Bring up the sides of the pastry.
  • Brush the sides with the egg white.
  • Sprinkle on the tablespoon of granulated sugar.
  • *
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes until the pastry is golden.
  • Leave to cool on a wire rack.
  • *
  • Sprinkle with icing sugar before serving – optional

Royal Doulton – Sonnet – Tea Plate

Apricot & Sultana Keks

  • This is a lovely moist cake which stays good for several days.
  • It was made in a long narrow Continental loaf tin.
  • I am sure it would be good in a 2lb loaf tin – but this has not been tested.

INGREDIENTS

  • 150g dried apricots – chopped into small pieces (I used already chopped apricots)
  • 100g sultanas
  • Hot Earl Grey Tea
  • *
  • 225 butter
  • 300g caster sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 3 eggs
  • *
  • 200g plain flour
  • 40g ground almonds
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • Large pinch of salt
  • *
  • 80g Greek style yoghurt

METHOD

  • Make some strong Earl Grey tea – if using loose leaf tea – strain the leaves from the liquid.
  • Cover the apricots and sultanas with the hot tea.
  • Leave for 20 minutes.
  • *
  • Strain the fruit and pat them dry with kitchen roll.
  • *
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM5 – 200ºC
  • Grease and line a long narrow loaf tin.
  • Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla essence till pale and fluffy.
  • Add the eggs – 1 at a time – beating after each addition.
  • *
  • In a seperate bowl mix the: flour, baking powder, almonds and salt.
  • Toss the fruit in the flour and mix together.
  • *
  • Put half the flour and fruit mixture into the creamed butter mixture.
  • Stir lightly.
  • Stir in the yoghurt.
  • Stir in the rest of the flour and fruit mixture.
  • *
  • Pour the batter into the baking tin.
  • Bake for 50 – 55 minutes.
  • Cover the top with greaseproof or tin foil if it starts to burn before being cooked through.

Royal Doulton Sonnet tea plate.

Poppy Seed Cake – 5

  • As you can see from the numbering – cake 5 – I have several recipes for a poppy seed cake – makowiec.
  • This was adapted from a recipe in a magazine I bought in Gdańsk.
  • It is baked in a rectangular tin and has a lemon glaze poured over it when cool.
  • Or you can cut it in half to make two squares and sandwich them together with Polish plum spread – powidła or another dark fruit jam.

Ingredients

  • 125g butter – softenned
  • 125 granulated sugar
  • 100g poppy seeds
  • 125ml milk
  • 2 eggs seperated
  • 150g flour (cake flour is good)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • Grated rind of 1 lemon
  • *
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 50g Sugar
  • or
  • Polish plum spread – powidła or Sour Cherry or Blackcurrant jam.

Method

  • Line 3 sides of a 26 x 20 baking tin with one piece of greaseproof paper.
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180°C.
  • Cream the butter and sugar together.
  • Mix in the egg yolks.
  • Mix in the poppy seeds and the milk.
  • Mix the flour and the baking powder together.
  • Fold the flour mix into the cake mixture.
  • *
  • Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff.
  • Fold the whites gently into the cake mixture.
  • Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin.
  • Smoothe the top flat.
  • Bake for 50 -55 minutes.
  • Near the end of baking check the top is not burning.
  • Cover with paper or foil if it is.
  • Leave to cool in the tin.
  • *
  • Mix the lemon juice with the sugar.
  • When the cake is cooling, spread the lemon mixture over the top of the cake.
  • *
  • Dust with icing sugar to serve.

Option

  • Rather than the lemon juice – wait till the cake is cool.
  • Cut it into 2 squares and sandwich together with Polish plum spread or dark fruit jam
  • Blackcurrant jam was used here.
  • Dust with icing sugar to serve.

Walnut filling for Rogaliki

  • Several recipes mentionned using a walnut filling rather than poppy seed or jam for Polish pastries.
  • It was hard to find a definative recipe so I had to think up the amounts myself.
  • The ingredients were: walnuts, milk, sugar and butter; I experimented to find the right propotions.
  • The amounts given are not set in stone, you need the milk to heat the nuts in but the butter and sugar can be adjusted to taste.
  • This mixture can be used for rogaliki   – 
  • Or for other pastries similar to poppy seed roll.
  • The mixture is usually used with pastry that is not sweet so can be quite sweet – depends on you liking.

INGREDIENTS

  • 150g walnuts – chopped fine or even part ground
  • 250 ml of milk
  • 3 -4 tablespoonfuls of granulated sugar
  • 1 – 2 tablespoonfuls of butter

METHOD

  • Place all the ingredients into a small saucepan.
  • Heat gentley whilst stirring all the time.
  • Heat until all the milk is absorbed.
  • Check the sweetness – add more sugar if needed.
  • Leave to cool completly before using.
  • *
  • This mixture can be frozen for later use.