Mazurek. Traditional Easter pie.

Mazureks came to Poland from Turkey and made an astonishing career here. These are tin, flat shortcrust pies topped with candied fruit and icing. Many different recipes for mazureks have been invited, but the main principle has always remained the same: a lot of topping over a thin waffle or shortcrust.
Decorating mazureks with colourful views and figures is old Polish tradition. For centuries, these very sweet cakes have been the pride of the Easter feast.

My mazurek is a little different than the original one. I made filling with prunes and almond, topping with dark chocolate and shortcrust pastry with wholemeal flour , because I am a big fan of this flour!
To be honest I am not good at decorating, that’s why I used only white chocolate on the top :) but the taste it’s still the same!
Mazurek is better day after day! I recommend refrigerate this cake for at least 24h before serving.

Mazurek. Traditional Easter pie.

Makes 12 *

Ingredients:
Short crust
200g ( 2 cups) wholemeal flour (stone-ground, coarse)
90g cold butter, cut into pieces
2 egg yolks
30g (1/4 cup) icing sugar

Filling350g seeded prunes
6 tablespoon Rum
80g almonds, blanched and chopped coarsely

Topping
100g dark chocolate (used Lindt 85% )
50g milk chocolate (used milk Lindt)
100ml double cream
100g white chocolate + 10g butter, extra for decorating

*12 pieces (squares 7x6cm), I used 28x18cm tin

Method:

1. Make pastry. Blend or process wholemeal flour, icing sugar and butter until mixture is crumbly. Add egg yolks; process until ingredients just come together. Enclose in plastic wrap, refrigerate 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven, 180C. Grease 28x21 tin. Roll pastry between sheets of baking paper until large enough to line tin. Lift pastry into tin. Prick base all over with fork. Refrigerate 10 minutes. Bake for 25 minutes until browns lightly.
3. Blend or process prunes with Rum until smooth, add chopped almonds.
4. Spread prunes jam into cooled shortcrust pastry.
5. Make topping. Combine chocolate and double cream in saucepan; stir over very low heat until mixture is smooth. Spread topping over prunes jam.
6. Store in a refrigerator.

Decorating: Melt white chocolate with butter, stir over very low heat until mixture is smooth


Enjoy :)

Sand Cake (Polish Sand Baba).

This is very typical Easter cake. Everybody knows 'sand baba' in Poland. This cake is different, than all cakes you know because contains potato starch (potato flour)! This flour gives rare, original taste.

I love sand cake! This cake seems to be very dry but actually it isn’t. It’s something between dry and moist consistency and for me it’s perfect!
Unfortunately – potato starch is the most important ingredients and you might have problems with finding this if you don’t live in Poland. However, I think you can find potato starch in the good healthy food store. If you can’t – the alternative solution is using corn starch, It won’t be exactly the same taste but very similar to the original!

I prepared traditional sand cake with an extra ingredient –Greek honey halva. I wanted more than traditional sand cake! This combination is also delicious!

If you don’t like halva follow only the basic recipe.

Remember! All ingredients should be in the room temperature! (3-4 hours before you start take out butter and eggs from a fridge)


Sand cake (Sand Baba)
Makes 1 loaf pan*

Basic recipe: 180g (1 ¼ cups) plain flour 100g ( ¾ cup) potato starch 150g butter, softened 2 eggs, separate egg whites from yolks 100g (¾ cup) icing sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder

Enriched recipe: 150g ( 1 cup) plain flour 100g (¾ cup) potato starch 150g butter, softened 2 eggs, separate egg whites from yolks 100g (¾ cup) icing sugar 100g halva 1 teaspoon baking powder

*Loaf pan (22x11 cm), I used round pan (18cm in diameter)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 140C. Grease loaf pan.
2. Place the butter and icing sugar in a bowl and beat together until light and fluffy (about 10 minutes).
3. If you want cake with halva - beat halva now, before adding yolks (about 5 minutes)4. Beat in the egg yolks (remember! add the egg yolks one at a time and beat 5 minutes each)
5. Sift the plain flour, potato starch and baking powder into the mixture, and stir well. Mixture will be very thick.
6. Beat the egg whites (until stiff) in a separately bowl, then fold gently into the cake butter.
7. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes in 140C. After that time increase the temperature to 160C and bake for 15 minutes.
8. Cake is ready when a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
9. Cool the cake in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn onto wire rack to cool completely.


Enjoy :)