Polish Easter Cake
A traditional Polish Easter Cake with a chocolate topping.
This cake, or the cooks variation of it, is one of those that you are almost sure to see on an Easter table. When families gather, each family unit contributes its version of the cake.
Calling it a cake is somewhat misleading. It is really a big cookie with a topping.
The toppings vary with the cooks. The base remains essentially the same but for the amount of sugar and flavoring. There is one other notable distinction. Some people bake the cake to the point of dark crispness and others remove it from the oven while it still tastes like a big sugar cookie.
Ingredients:
For The Cake:
30 dag or 1 1/3 cups of flour
15 dag or 3/4 cup of margarine
8 dag or scant 1/2 cup of sugar
1 spoon of cream
vanilla flavor
Topping :
0.25 liters or 1 cup of 9 to 12 percent fat cream
2 cups of sugar
vanilla flavor
1-2 tablespoons of cocoa
Preparation of the Cake
Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or fork. When the mixture looks something like course crumbs, add the sugar and blend it.
Then add the cream and a teaspoon of vanilla flavor. (Adjust the amount to your taste. You can also add other flavors.)
Knead the mixture just until it holds together. Put it into a plastic bag and put that into the refrigerator for at least two hours.
Heat the over to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Roll the dough and put it onto a paper lined baking tray or a baking tray coated with butter. Turn the edges up so that they are about 1/2 inch high. This makes a dam around the edges to hold the topping when you add it later.
Bake for about 15 minutes.
Preparation of the Topping Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla.
Heat it over a low flame. Once it boils, continue the heat, all the while stirring it constantly so that you do not burn it, for another 10 minutes.
Remove it from the heat and add the cocoa. Stir it for another two minutes.
Pour it on the cake and allow it to cool.
Decorate it with raisins, icing, fruits and/or nuts.