Skubaniec cake was a hit at parties during the communist era in Poland. Do you still remember this recipe?
Skubaniec cake, also known as pleśniak, is a classic Polish dessert. It's characterized by the rather tart flavor of blackcurrants sweetened with a silky meringue. What to add to a shortcrust pastry? The base and top of a skubaniec cake are made from wheat flour, butter, sugar, egg yolks, baking powder, and salt.
Ingredients
- 250 g butter
- 200g sugar
- 350 g tablespoon of wheat flour
- 3 egg yolks, size L or XL
- 3 tablespoons of cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- 0.5 kg of blackcurrants
- 3 egg whites, size L or XL
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 100 g butter
- 100 g powdered sugar
- 150 g wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons of cocoa
- blackcurrant for decoration
- powdered sugar for sprinkling
Prepare the dough. In a large bowl, combine the butter, egg yolks, sugar, baking powder, salt, and 350g flour. Knead the dough until smooth and divide it in half. Add 3 tablespoons of flour to one half and cocoa powder to the other. Mix both halves until combined. Line a baking pan (approximately 20 x 30 cm) with baking paper. Pour the light dough into the pan first and smooth it out. Spread the dark dough on top. Wash the blackcurrants and remove the stems. Pat them dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the berries.
Prepare the meringue layer. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Finally, add the sugar and beat again. Spread the meringue mixture over the fruit.
Fruit. Prepare the crumble. Place the powdered sugar and flour in a bowl. Finely dice the cold butter. Add it to the remaining dry ingredients and knead with your hands until crumbly. Divide the crumble into two parts. Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to one and knead again until the crumble is uniform in color.
Sprinkle the cake with the light crumble first, then the dark crumble. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake for 60 minutes. Serve the Skubaniec cake garnished with fresh blackcurrants and dusted with powdered sugar.
