Placek Z Kruszonka Recipes

POLISH PLACEK Z KRUSZONKA: COFFEE CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Place sugar and butter in a large bowl or stand mixer. Scald the milk and pour it into the bowl with sugar and butter. Stir until butter is completely melted. Let cool to 110 F.
• Add yeast and mix well.
• Add egg-salt mixture and half the flour, stirring constantly.
• Add the vanilla and raisins, if using, and mix well.
• Add the remaining flour and mix well. The dough will be sticky.
• Turn out into a greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled.
• Grease 2 (9 x 5-inch) loaf pans and make the crumb topping in a medium bowl by combining flour and sugar, and cutting in the butter with your fingers. Set aside.
• Using slightly dampened hands, punch down dough and divide it in half.
• Place in prepared pans . Sprinkle half the crumb topping on each cake. Place on a baking sheet to catch any crumbs that fall off while baking, cover with greased plastic wrap, and let rise until dough mounds slightly over the top.
• Heat oven to 300 F and bake for 50 minutes or until the instant-read thermometer registers 190 F.
• Remove from oven and cool in pan for 5 minutes.
• Then turn out and cool coffee cakes completely on their side on a wire rack.

DROZDZOWKA (POLISH YEAST PLUM CAKE)

Steps:

• In a saucepan over very low heat, warm up 1/2 cup of milk to no more than 100 degrees F (38 degrees C); stir in 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Crumble the cake yeast into the milk mixture, and gently stir until the mixture becomes creamy. Cover the pan with a cloth, and set aside in a warm place until the yeast forms a spongy texture, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Melt margarine in a saucepan over low heat; remove from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish, and sprinkle with bread crumbs.
• Place eggs and 1 1/8 cup sugar into a blender, and process until the mixture is yellow and fluffy. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 8 cups of flour with vanilla sugar. Stir in the egg mixture, activated yeast mixture, and lukewarm margarine; start kneading 1 cup milk, or as needed, into the dough, a little at a time, until the dough stops sticking to your fingers and becomes smooth and even. Knead for at least 15 minutes, working to incorporate as much air as possible into the dough as you knead.
• Press the dough evenly into the prepared baking sheet, and arrange the plums over the top of the dough. Set aside.
• In a bowl, cut together 1 1/2 cup flour, the butter, and 1/2 cup of sugar with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs; sprinkle the streusel mixture over the plums. Dust streusel with cinnamon, if desired.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

PLACEK Z KRUSZONKA

Steps:

• Place sugar and butter in a large bowl or stand mixer. Scald the milk, and pour it into the bowl with sugar and butter. Stir until butter is completely melted. Let cool to 110 degrees.
• Add yeast and mix well. Add egg-salt mixture and half the flour, stirring constantly. Add the vanilla and raisins, if using, and mix well. Add the remaining flour and mix well. The dough will be sticky.
• Turn out into a greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled. Grease two (9x5-inch) loaf pans and make the crumb topping in a medium bowl by combining flour and sugar, and cutting in the butter with your fingers. Set aside.
• Using slightly dampened hands, punch down dough and divide it in half. Place in prepared pans. Sprinkle half the crumb topping on each cake. Place on a baking sheet (to catch any crumbs that fall off while baking), cover with greased plastic wrap, and let rise until dough mounds slightly over the top.
• Heat oven to 300 degrees and bake 50 minutes or until instant-read thermometer registers 190 degrees. Remove from oven. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out and cool coffee cakes completely on their side on a wire rack. Best if eaten within a few days of making, but freezes nicely.

POLISH COFFEE CRUMB CAKE (PLACEK Z KRUSZONKą)

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat milk and butter on medium low heat and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine flour and confectioners sugar. With the mixer set on low speed, slowly add the milk and butter mixture to the flour mixture in a stream until well combined. The batter will be thick. Cool until room temperature, about 1 hour (place in refrigerator to speed up the cooling process).
• Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease and flour or line with parchment paper a 9 inch x 13 inch x 2 inch pan.
• Using a large-holed grater, grate cold/frozen butter in a bowl. In a separate bowl, stir to combine sugar and flour. Sprinkle over grated butter. With the tips of your fingers, quickly work butter into flour mixture until pea-size crumbs form.
• Using an electric mixer set on low speed, mix into cooled batter eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, and baking powder until just combined. Spread batter into prepared pan.
• Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over top of the batter. Bake in preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate 1 hour and up to overnight. Cut into squares and serve.

POLISH FRESH PLUM CAKE--PLACEK Z SLIWKAMI

Steps:

• Lightly coat a 13"x9" pan with cooking spray. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and 3/4 cup sugar. Add 1/2 cup softened butter, milk and eggs. Beat at medium speed 4 minutes.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Place plums on top, cut side up, pushing down slightly into batter.
• Cut remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cloves into 3 tablespoons cold butter and sprinkle over plums. Bake about 40 minutes or until a toothpick tests clean.
• Let the cake cool in the pan so the plum juices will be reabsorbed to create a moist cake. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if desired, and cut into 12 squares.