Polish Carpathian Mountain Cream Cake (Karpatka)

Polish Carpathian Mountain Cream Cake (Karpatka)

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 60 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Refrigeration: 60 mins
Total: 3 hrs
Servings: 9 servings
Yield: 1 cake

This Polish Carpathian Mountain cream cake recipe is known as karpatka. It's a peasant version of the more refined kremówka, which is made with puff pastry.

Karpatka is made with the same type of dough used to make cream puffs and éclairs, known as pâte à choux in French. When dusted with confectioners' sugar, the dessert takes on the look of the craggy, snow-capped Carpathian Mountains, hence its name.

In addition to a custard filling, karpatka can be filled with easy pastry cream.

Ingredients

For Dough

  • 1 cup water

  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cupall-purpose flour

  • 5 large eggs

For Filling

  • 2 cups milk

  • 1 cup granulated sugar

  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch, or potato starch

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened

  • Confectioners' sugar, for garnish

Steps to Make It

Make the Dough

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    dough ingredients

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly coat a 13 x 9-inch pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper.

    pan with cooking spray and parchment paper

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. In a medium saucepan, bring water, 10 tablespoons butter, and salt to a boil.

    water, butter and salt in a saucepan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. When butter has completely melted, remove from heat and, using a wooden spoon, add 1 cup flour all at once.

    flour and butter mixture in a saucepan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Return to stove and stir over low heat for 2 or 3 minutes or until dough cleans sides of pan and forms a ball.

    dough in a pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Remove from heat and stir in eggs one at a time, beating well, either by hand or with an electric mixer, after each addition. The batter should be smooth and glossy and cling to the spoon.

    dough in a pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  7. Pour dough into prepared pan, but don't smooth it out. You want the finished top to look like a rugged mountain. Bake 30 minutes.

    dough in a prepared baking dish

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  8. Bake 30 minutes.Remove from oven and pierce top all over with a skewer and bake another 10 minutes or until top is golden brown and dry.

    baked dough in a baking dish

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  9. Remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack before filling.

    dough on a cooling rack

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Make the Filling

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    filling ingredients

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. In a medium saucepan, bring milk, sugar, cornstarch, and 2 tablespoons flour to a boil, stirring frequently.

    milk, sugar, cornstarch, and flour in a saucepan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Reduce heat and continue to cook and stir until thickened like pudding, at least 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla.

    filling cooking in a saucepan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Place in an ice water bath to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

    filling in a saucepan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Make sure filling is completely cool before beating in 20 tablespoons softened butter.

    filling in a saucepan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Assemble the Cake

  1. Split the cooled pastry in half horizontally.

    dough on a cooling rack, and on a table

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Place bottom half back in clean baking pan and pour cooled filling over, spreading evenly.

    filling on top of the dough in a baking dish

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Top with other half of pastry and refrigerate until cold.

    filling topped with dough in a baking dish

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. When ready to serve, cut into rectangles with a serrated knife and dust heavily with confectioners' sugar to look like snow on a mountain top.

    Polish Carpathian Mountain Cream Cake (Karpatka)

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Tips

  • This cake is best eaten on the same day. Since it is a custard-type filling, it should be kept refrigerated and will keep for up to two days—just know that it will become mushy the longer it sits.
  • You cannot freeze karpatka, so enjoy every bite while it is fresh.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
245 Calories
17g Fat
15g Carbs
7g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 9
Amount per serving
Calories 245
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 17g 22%
Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Cholesterol 143mg 48%
Sodium 95mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 15g 6%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 90mg 7%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 139mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)