Polish Carpathian Cake (Karpatka)
Beloved Karpatka (Polish Carpathian Cake) requires only basic ingredients to create a great cake that takes beloved choux pastry and turns it into a custard slice with minimal effort.
Servings 24
Calories 183kcal
Ingredients
Choux Pastry
- 250 grams / 1 cup water
- 150 grams / 5.3 ounces butter cubed
- 160 grams / 1 cup plain flour
- 220 grams / 4 large eggs room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 gram / ¼ teaspoon baking powder
Custard filling
- 720 grams / 3 cups milk
- 200 grams / 7 ounces butter cubed and room temperature
- 150 grams / ¾ cup superfine/caster sugar
- 8 grams / 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 80 grams / ½ cup plain flour
- 40 grams / ⅓ cup corn starch or potato flour
- 36 grams / 2 large egg yolks room temperature
Instructions
Choux pastry
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350F and line 2 x 23 x 33 cm or 9 x 13-inch baking tins with parchment paper.
- Heat the water and butter in a saucepan on medium heat until simmering.
- Remove from the heat and toss in the flour, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth.
- Lower the heat to low and return to the heat, constantly stirring until the mixture pulls away from the edges of the saucepan.
- Set aside to cool until warm or cooled completely.
- Add 1 egg, salt and baking powder to the saucepan and stir vigorously or whip until smooth and combined.
- Repeat with each egg until smooth and the dough resembles a thick pancake batter.
- Divide into 2 portions and spread each half of the dough over the baking trays evenly.
- Bake until golden, approximately 30 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.
Custard filling
- Heat 2 cups of the milk and sugar in a saucepan on medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the milk is lightly simmering at the edges.
- Meanwhile, add the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla sugar, flour, starch and remaining milk to a bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Pour into the milk mixture and whisk constantly until smooth and thick. It should be quite difficult to mix due to its thickness.
- Set aside to cool until lightly warm.
- In a separate bowl, whip the softened butter until pale and fluffy, approximately 10 minutes.
- Add the cooled custard and whip until smooth or even better, blend with a stick blender to remove any lumps.
- Lay the bottom portion of your pastry on a plate or in a container and spoon the custard on top, spreading out evenly with an offset spatula.
- Place the second pastry on top and press down to even out the custard layer.
- Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or if you are wanting to serve this sooner, freeze for around 1 hour to set.
- Slice evenly and serve up.
- Dig in with a hot drink beside.
Notes
- Milk: Whole milk was used to make a beautiful rich homemade custard.
- Flour: Plain or all purpose flour gives the choux pastry helps form the famous crust that we’re aiming for with our pastry. Whilst plain flour
- Vanilla sugar: This is commonly found in Europe in little sachets. If you cannot source, vanilla extract will impart the same flavors.
- Flavor variations: Try adding lemon zest, almond extract, or a splash of rum to the custard. Some versions include whipped cream folded into the custard for extra lightness. Whilst it’s also common to add lightly roasted fruits to the custard also - with plum, strawberries or raspberries working particularly well here.
- Making two versions: You could divide the dough into four portions and bake one in a rectangle or square tin and one in a round tin and add slices of fresh or roasted fruit to one portion. A 20 centimeter or 8 inch cake tin required 160 grams whereas a 30 x 19.5 centimeters or 12 x 7.75 inches rectangle baking dish had 206 grams per each layer. These will bake for a shorter time - 22 minutes as opposed to 30 minutes.
- Fruity version: The above suggestion was tried out with a roasted plum filling of 200 grams / 4 medium plums pitted and sliced into 12 pieces and ground cinnamon and cardamom sprinkled over. It was baked at 120C/F for 40 minutes until lightly juicy and soft but still whole. You could replace the more traditionally beloved plum (a very popular fruit throughout this part of Europe) with fresh or roasted strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrants or even cranberries.
- Best served: This is best served within 2 days of baking. The choux pastry will gradually soften from the custard moisture. Store covered in the refrigerator.
- Can be made ahead: Yes! The choux pastry can be baked 1-2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container. The custard can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Assemble 2-3 hours before serving for best texture.
Nutrition
Calories: 183kcal