The traditional recipe for a light and tender Polish cream pie presented in the article is known among culinary experts as the Karpatka cake. It is, so to speak, a more simplified (peasant) version of another popular national pastry - “Kremovka”, prepared from puff pastry. “Karpatka” is a miracle as good, it is loved not only by children, but also by adults. The cake has a delicious milky creamy taste and soft creamy texture. We offer you two recipes for this treat: classic and original chocolate.
Cake Ingredients
Cake (pie) "Carpathian" has a fairly simple ingredient composition. Products are affordable and not the most expensive, there are, perhaps, in every refrigerator in sufficient quantities.
- 5 large eggs;
- 1 glass of water;
- 10 tbsp. l unsalted softened butter;
- 130-150 g of flour.
The main highlight of the Karpatka pie is its airy and light filling - a gentle milk custard. To cook it, you need the following products:
- 2 cups of milk;
- 1 cup of sugar;
- 2 tbsp. l potato or corn starch and flour;
- 200 g of butter.
When all the products are prepared and stand on the table, waiting in the wings, you can proceed with culinary magic. For this dessert, custard dough is required, as a rule, there are no difficulties with its preparation. The main thing is to follow all the step-by-step instructions. Custard is also quite easy to prepare. Probably everyone came across it when, for example, they baked Napoleon or a honey cake.
So, let's find out how to make a Carpathian cake in our kitchen and please our loved ones and guests with it. Let's start with the test.
Step number 1
Turn on the oven to warm up to 200 degrees. Prepare a shallow baking sheet in advance and cover it with parchment (baking) paper.
In a small saucepan, bring to a boil a mixture of water, butter and salt. Keep flour and a wooden spatula ready. Once the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat. Pour all the flour in one portion and mix quickly. Return the pan to the fire. Then, for 2-3 minutes, continue to knead the dough until it starts to lag behind the walls of the dishes and forms into a ball. Then remove it from the stove and let cool to room temperature.
Add eggs one at a time to the cooled dough. At the same time, beat the mass well with a mixer each time. The dough as a result should turn out smooth, glossy and cling to a wooden spatula.
Step number 2
Polish cake, a recipe with a photo of which is presented in the article, can often be found under the name Carpathian mountain cake, that is, a cake or a cupcake "Carpathian Mountains". This is due to the appearance of baking. And in order for the cake to really look like mountains, it is necessary to bake cakes correctly. The surface of what is placed on top must be uneven and uneven.
The main secret of their preparation - do not level the surface of the dough with a spatula after distributing it on a baking sheet with sides. Then the top of the cake will really look like a mountain plateau.
Bake the base for half an hour. In no case do not open the oven, otherwise the dough will fall. Watch the process through the glass. Then take out the cake, pierce the “bubbles” formed from above with a needle or skewer and put in the oven for another ten minutes. The surface of the cakes should become a golden hue. Once they are ready, remove them from the baking sheet or from the mold onto the wire rack and cool.
Step number 3
In order to prepare a custard for the pie, carefully move the milk with sugar and starch and flour so that there are no lumps. Then pour the mixture into a thick-bottomed dish and bring it to a boil over high heat. Do not forget to mix the future cream often. As soon as it boils, the fire must be reduced. Continue to mix the cream, you will notice how it begins to thicken before our eyes. In no less than two minutes, it will become like a pudding mass, increasing in volume.
At the final stage, you can add vanilla to it. Then place the container in cold water and cool the cream to room temperature. When it has almost cooled, add softened butter and mix thoroughly.
Step number 4
The final stage of cooking is the assembly of the Karpatka cake. Chilled dough should be divided into 2 parts horizontally. Put the lower flat cake to the bottom of a deep dish. Then put custard on it and smooth the surface with a spatula. Put the second part of the cake on top. Put the cake in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to freeze the cream, then the Carpathian will be conveniently cut into portions.
Sprinkle abundantly prepared Polish cake with powdered sugar so that its surface resembles the peaks of the Carpathian Mountains, powdered with snow.
If you have perfectly mastered the classic recipe for making this amazing dessert, we suggest that you add a little variety to it. Cake "Carpathian" can be prepared with chocolate-caramel flavor, which will appeal to lovers of sweets even more. Its recipe is somewhat different, and we will not judge the fairness of relating it to traditional Polish cuisine. However, this option also deserves the right to exist, especially since it turns out really tasty.
Chocolate "Carpathian": ingredients for the dough
For the Polish chocolate cake, the same principle applies for the preparation of custard dough. However, the ingredient is slightly changed. You will need:
- 100 ml of milk and water;
- 120 g of flour;
- 4 eggs;
- 80 g of butter;
- ½ tsp salts;
- 20 g of cocoa powder.
Cooking cakes
Put butter on the bottom of the stewpan, pour in milk and water, add salt. Put the mixture on fire and bring to a boil. Sift the cocoa together with the flour in a separate bowl at this time.
As soon as the milk mixture boils, pour all the dry ingredients at once. Stir the dough vigorously with a spatula until it starts to lag behind the walls of the stewpan and collects into a uniform lump. Cool it to room temperature.
Add eggs one at a time to the dough and each time thoroughly beat the mass with a mixer. As mentioned above, it should become smooth and shiny. Use a silicone spatula or a wooden spoon.
Divide the dough into two parts. It’s good if you have two identical shapes with low sides. Otherwise, you will have to bake cakes in turn. Cover the mold with baking paper or oil. Then put the dough in it and spread it over the entire surface, but do not level it. Bake the cakes in an oven preheated to 200 degrees for at least half an hour. Then repeat the procedure described above with them: pierce the air “bubbles” with a skewer and dry again. Remove the prepared cakes from the mold and cool on a wire rack, otherwise they may become damp.
Chocolate Cream: Ingredients
There is nothing complicated in preparing caramel cream for a traditional Polish custard cake. The process is almost the same as that described for the classic recipe. The difference is only in the ingredients. In order to prepare a custard, you need to take:
- 500 ml of milk;
- 70 g of sugar;
- 2 eggs;
- 60 g of corn starch;
- 120 g cream 20% fat;
- 150 g butter;
- 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Cooking Creamy Caramel
For such a modernized Polish custard cake (the recipe with a photo of the classic version is presented above), the cream is prepared in two stages. You should start with creamy caramel first.
In order to cook it, take a stewpan with a thick bottom, pour sugar into it and put on fire. Gradually, it will begin to melt and transform into syrup. Make sure that your caramel does not burn. You do not need to stir it with a spatula or spoon, but you can periodically turn the stewpan in different directions.
Warm the cream separately, but do not bring them to a boil. As soon as the sugar turns into caramel (it dissolves completely and becomes a pleasant golden color), pour them into the stewpan. Stir the mixture quickly and vigorously. As a result, you should get caramel with a distinct creamy taste.
Cooking cream
Pour the milk into the stewpan and bring it to a boil. In a separate bowl, whisk sugar and eggs with a whisk, then add corn starch. The mixture should be without lumps. Combine it with half the milk and mix thoroughly. Put the stewpan again on fire, pour in the egg and milk mixture with constant stirring and cook until thickened.
Add vanilla extract and creamy caramel to the finished cream. It turns out a pleasant golden hue. If desired, chocolate drops can be added to the cream .
At the last stage, collect the Carpathian cake as described above.