Small Cakes – Journey From A Polish Kitchen

Mince Pies with Apple Mincemeat

I make these with the pastry that I learnt from my mother – a variation on kruche & półkruche, pastry (a richer shortcrust pastry). Using the proportion of 2 parts flour to 1 part butter.

Rather than the classic mincemeat – these were made with Apple mincemeat, which is lighter and more tart.

Ingredients – Pastry

1500g plain flour
75g butter
1-2 tablespoons of icing sugar (optional)
1 egg yolk
Juice of 1 lemon (and maybe 1 tablespoon of cold water)
*
Glaze
Lightly beaten egg white
Caster sugar

Method for pastry

Rub the butter into the flour to make “breadcrumbs”.
Mix in the icing sugar.
First with a knife and then with your fingertips mix in the yolk & lemon juice (and maybe a tablespoon of cold water.)
You are aiming to get a dough which is not wet.
Rest for about 20 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to GM6 – 200°C
You need to grease the tins well in order to get the pies out successfully.
2 sizes of cutters are needed – 1 – 7cm diameter, plain, for the base, 1 – 6cm diameter, crinkle edge for the top.

My tins are anodised aluminium and have a gentle rounded shape, this I think make for the perfect balance between the pastry and the filling.
I put “tops” on my mince pies – but not fully covered ones.
*
The tops are brushed with beaten egg white and sprinkled with caster sugar.
Cut out the bases and place them in the tins.
*
Place around a tablespoonful of apple mincemeat on the pastry.
Place the smaller tops on.
Lightly beat the egg white and brush this on the tops
Sprinkle caster sugar over the egg white.
Bake for around 15 minutes – keeping an eye on them – so they do not burn.
Leave to cool slightly in the tins & carefully remove them onto a rack to fully cool.

Ciasteczka – Francuskie

- Ciasteczka -francuskie – means little French cakes
- This recipe originated in France in the 17th century and they were first called “financiers” and later “friands”.
- They are small cakes baked in oval moulds.
- These moulds are bigger than madeleine moulds.
- These moulds can still be purchased nowadays.
- You could use small tart tins and even small bun cases.
- Friands have become very popular in Australia and New Zealand but it is not known when this started.
- Alpine (wild) strawberries are used in this recipe and as I have lots of these in my garden I thought I would have a go!
- This amount makes 6.

Ingredients

70g ground almonds
30g plain flour
Pinch of salt
120g icing sugar
100g butter
3 egg whites
80g alpine strawberries
*
Icing sugar to dust

Method

Greased the moulds.
Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180°C.
Mix almonds, flour, salt and sugar.
Melt butter in a small saucepan and leave to cool.
Whisk whites till frothy but – not as stiff as for meringues.
Trickle butter into the dry mix.
Add ½ the whites and mix lightly.
Add the rest of of the whites until everything is mixed thoroughly.
Spoon the mixture into moulds.
Scatter the alpine strawberries on top.
Bake for 16-18 minutes.
Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Option

If you do not have any alpine strawberries use fresh strawberries cut into quarters or slices or use raspberries.

Chocolate Cookies

I was given this recipe recently and it is amazing how the icing sugar comes out crinkled.
They are so chocolatey
Cookies would be called ciasteczka in Poland.
After mixing up the ingredients you have to refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
I always mix this in the evening and leave it overnight.

Ingredients

30g cocoa
100g granulated sugar
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
65g plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
30g walnuts – chopped
*
2 -3 tablespoons icing sugar

Method

Mix the cocoa and sugar together
Add the oil, beaten egg and vanilla essence.
Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together.
Mix the flour mixture with the cocoa mixture until combined.
Mix in the walnuts.
Cover the bowl and place in the fridge.
Leave overnight.
*
Pre-heat the oven to GM3 – 150°C.
Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
Put the icing sugar into a small/medium bowl.
Using a spoon divide the mixture into 12 even pieces.
Place these onto a large plate.
Drop 3 pieces into the icing sugar.
Roll them a little in the sugar to coat.
Pick each one up and roll in your palms to make an even ball.
Roll the ball in the icing sugar again.
This initial coating really works to stop the mixture sticking to your hands.
Place the ball on the baking sheet.
Leave space as these will spread.
Repeat with the other balls.
Bake for 11-12 minutes.
They will be soft and firm up once they cool.
Leave them to cool on the tray for 5-10 minutes.
Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Babeczki

INGREDIENTS

This is based on an old English recipe.
They have a shortcrust pastry base with slightly lemony filling.
They are best made with a rich buttery pastry.

Ingredients

Shortcrust pastry – Kruche ciasto – from 250g plain flour
*
50g butter
100g caster sugar
Grated rind of 2 lemons
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of soured cream
2eggs & 1 yolk
100g ground almonds

Method

Pre-heat the oven to – GM5
Butter shallow tart tins.
Roll out the pastry very thinly.
Cut out circles to fit and line each tart mould.
*
Cream the butter and sugar with the lemon rind.
Add in the eggs and yolk.
Mix in the lemon juice and soured cream.
Mix in the almonds.
*
¾ fill each tart – leaving room for expansion.
Bake for 15-16 minutes.
Leave to cool a little before removing them from the tins.

Served on Royal Standard – Lyndale – 1949 – 1960.

Date Slices

Mama often made these. She used to buy dried dates in a block which was just the right amount and a lot cheaper than whole dates. However I have not seen these for sale for ages.

Ingredients

Filling
225g stoned dates
Juice & rind of 1 lemon
Water – to add to juice to make 250ml
*
Crumble Mixture
110g plain flour
110g semolina
110g butter
80g granulated sugar

Method

Chop the dates.
Add water to the lemon juice to make up to 250ml of liquid.
In a small saucepan gently heat the dates and the rind with the lemon liquid.
Stir and heat until you have a soft pulp and all the liquid has been absorbed.
Leave to go completely cold before using.
*
Pre-heat the oven to GM5 – 190°C.
Grease a 21 x 26cm shallow baking tin.
Use a piece of grease-proof paper to line the two long sides and base of the tin.
Mix the flour and the semolina.
Rub the butter into the flour mixture until you get breadcrumbs.
Stir in the sugar.
Put half of the crumble mixture into base of the tin.
Pat down with a spoon.
Place spoonfuls of the date pulp evenly across the crumble mixture.
Spread the rest of the crumble mixture over the top.
Pat this down with a spoon.
Bake for 30-35 minutes.
Leave to cool in the tin.
Cut into squares or fingers to serve.

Johnson Brothers Ironstone Snowflake – Green Pear – 1960 – 1979

Note

Do not store these in an airtight box or they will go soggy. Use a mesh cover or a cotton or linen tea towel.

Rye Scones

This recipe is a cross between an English scone and soda bread.

I used this recipe with spelt flour and it was a huge success.

I now tried it out with rye flour using equal amounts of rye to plain flour.

In Poland you might call these babeczki – little buns or bułeczki – little bread buns.

Ingredients

125g rye flour
125g plain flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
30g of demerara or granulated sugar & 1/2 tablespoon
80g of sultanas or raisins
65g butter – chilled and diced
2 tablespoons of yoghurt & milk to make 125ml
1 egg

Method

Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper.
Preheat the oven to GM7 – 220°C.
Mix the flours, baking powder and salt together.
Add the butter and mix in with the flour to make breadcrumbs.
Add the 30g of sugar.
Add the sultanas or raisins.
Lightly mix the egg into the yoghurt/milk mixture.
Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the egg mixture.
With a knife work the mixture together to make a damp rough ball.
Turn the ball of dough on the the baking sheet.
Form into a flattened disc around 20cm in diameter.
Sprinkle with the 1/2 tablespoon of sugar.
Deeply score the disc into eight sections.
Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until golden and firm.

They tastes delicious freshly baked with butter & the next day slightly warmed or toasted.

Served on Elizabethan Carnaby from the 1960s.

Variations

These were so delicious I made them again but instead of sultanas used –

80g chopped dried apricots

80g dried cranberries

All versions are super!

Spelt Scones

This recipe is a cross between an English scone and soda bread.

In Poland you might call these babeczki – little buns or bułeczki – little bread buns. Spelt flour gives this a lovely taste.

Ingredients

250g spelt flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
30g of demerara or granulated sugar & 1/2 tablespoon
80g of sultanas or raisins
65g butter – chilled and diced
2 tablespoons of yoghurt & milk to make 125ml of liquid
1 egg

Method

Line a baking sheet with grease-proof paper.
Preheat the oven to GM7 – 220°C.
Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together.
Add the butter and mix in with the flour to make breadcrumbs.
Add the 30g of sugar.
Add the sultanas or raisins.
Lightly mix the egg into the yoghurt/milk mixture.
Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the egg mixture.
With a knife work the mixture together to make a damp rough ball.
Turn the ball of dough on the the baking sheet.
Form into a flattened disc around 20cm in diameter.
Sprinkle with the 1/2 tablespoon of the demerara sugar.
Deeply score the disc into eight sections.
Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until golden and firm.

They tastes delicious freshly baked with butter & the next day slightly warmed or toasted.

Served here on Ansley – Las Palmas tea plates from the 1960s and on Queen Anne tea plates.

American Crescent Cookies

These cookies were made for me by my aunt on my visit to America, many years ago.

She said that she often made these for Christmas. I have adjusted the recipe to weights rather than cups as I find that easier. Also below I have the ingredients for just half the original amount which will make around 12 largish cookies … so you can try them out .

Ingredients

110g butter

2 and 1/2 tablespoons of granulated sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

1/2 tablespoon of water

130g plain flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

120g chopped pecans (or you can use walnuts)

Icing sugar for finishing.

Method

Pre-heat the oven to GM3 – 160ºC

Grease 2 baking sheets.

Cream the butter, sugar, vanilla essence and water together.

Add the flour and the salt.

Stir in the chopped pecans.

Take amounts of the mixture larger than a walnut and press this together in your hands – it will stick together easily – shape it into a crescent.

Place them on a greased baking sheet.

Bake for around 25 minutes.

Let them cool for a few minutes and then dredge or roll them in icing sugar.

Served on a tea plate by Royal Grafton – Woodside – 1950s

Whilst I have been writing this post I mentioned it in an email to my cousin who wrote

“Do you know we still use that recipe particularly at Christmas but I can eat them any time. I like them as crescents but also as thumbprint style with a dab of perhaps raspberry, strawberry or apricot preserves–and then powdered sugar sifted on top.”

and also

“As you know, the recipe calls for butter and my feeling is, anything is better with butter! My best friend gave me a little kitchen plaque that says, “I believe in the unparalleled power of butter!”

So I tried these out using raspberry jam – delicious!

Plates are an unnamed Waterlily design by

Taylor & Kent, Longton, England

Madeleine Cakes

I was in Marks & Spencer’s and saw these lovely tins and thought “I must try these“.

I bought 2 tins and then the following week I got another and after trying out some recipes I bought a 4th.

IMG-20160319-WA0000

Madeleines are very small sponge cakes baked in tins with shell-shaped depressions.

Of course you can make then in small bun tins if you want to see if you like them before investing in the tins.

They originated from the Lorraine region in France.

When looking for recipes I thought that these did not have a Polish connection but in fact they do!

The exiled king of Poland, Stanisław Leszczyński (1677 – 1766), was the Duke of Lorraine from 1737 -1766 and his daughter Maria was married to Louis XV of France.

Madeleine Paulmier was the cook for the exiled king and the story goes that these little cakes were named after her.

Marcel Proust (1871 – 1922) the French author described them as “a little shell of a cake, so generously sensual beneath the piety of its stern pleating…” in his book À la recherche du temps perdu – In Search of Lost Time.

I have tried out many different recipes all with varying quantities – my head was spinning trying to sort them all out.

The following three are I ones I liked best.

They are all based on variations of the Genoise Sponge in which you use melted butter.

For ALL the recipes you must grease the tins well – I have found that using melted butter & a pastry brush is very effective.

Madeleines 1

This mixture made over 30 Madeleines.

Ingredients

65g Butter (plus extra for greasing the pans)

65g Icing sugar

2 eggs

65g Self-raising flour

2-3 drops of vanilla essence

Method

Grease the tins.

Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180ºC

In a small pan melt the butter and leave it to cool.

Whisk the icing sugar, eggs and vanilla essence together until the mixture is thick and creamy.

Gently fold in the self-raising flour using a metal spoon.

Gently fold in the melted butter using a metal spoon.

Divide the mixture between the tins.

Bake for around 10minutes till golden.

Leave them to cool slightly in the tins and then remove them onto a wire rack.

Dredge them liberally with icing sugar.

Madeleines 2 – With Ground Almonds

This mixture made around 30 Madeleines

Ingredients

65g Butter (plus extra for greasing the pans)

65g Icing sugar

2 eggs

65g Self-raising flour

65g Ground almonds

2-3 drops of vanilla or almond essence.

Method

Grease the tins.

Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180ºC

In a small pan melt the butter and leave it to cool.

Whisk the icing sugar, eggs and vanilla or almond essence together until the mixture is thick and creamy.

Mix the self-raising flour and ground almonds together.

Gently fold in the flour and almond mixture using a metal spoon.

Gently fold in the melted butter using a metal spoon.

Divide the mixture between the pans.

Bake for around 10 minutes till golden

Leave them to cool slightly in the tins and then remove them onto a wire rack.

Dredge them liberally with icing sugar.

Madeleines 3 – With Ground Almonds & Honey

This recipe is based on a updated recipe from Mrs Beeton in How To Cook – 220 Classic Recipes For The Modern Kitchen – 2011.

This mixture made 36 Madeleines.

Ingredients

120g butter (plus extra for greasing the pans)

50g runny honey

3 eggs

100g caster sugar

100g self raising flour

25g ground almonds.

Method

Place the butter in a small pan to melt over a medium-high heat and allow it to cook until it starts to brown lightly.

Remove then pan from from the heat and add the honey and stir it in well.

Leave the mixture to cool slightly.

Whisk the icing sugar and eggs together until the mixture is thick and creamy.

Mix the self-raising flour and ground almonds together.

Gently fold in the flour and almond mixture using a metal spoon.

Gently fold in the cooled butter and honey mixture using a metal spoon until fully incorporated.

Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Grease the tins.

Divide the mixture between the tins.

Let them rest for 10 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to GM3- 160ºC

Bake for around 10 minutes till golden.

Keep an eye on them as the honey in them tends to brown quickly.

Leave them to cool slightly in the tins and then remove them onto a wire rack.

Dredge them liberally with icing sugar.

Cake Stands in Glass and China

I just love cake stands. They make the cakes look really special.

I started of with a few glass ones I got from my mother and now have at least seventeen.

Most are old, bought from charity shops and car boot sales.

I have also started buying china tiered ones. These look better just placed around the dining room but I sometimes use them for small cakes, chocolates or fruit.