Karpatka, a Polish dessert, involves baking a unique, uneven choux pastry, and then layering it with a rich, creamy vanilla custard filling. It’s typically topped with powdered sugar or chocolate glaze and refrigerated before serving.
Since I live in Poland I’ve tried many traditional and authentic cakes and desserts. And if I want to be very honest with you I have to tell you that my favorite one is definitely kremowka.
But don’t click the below link yet and read at least a few lines more. 🙂
When I say that the kremowka is my favorite one you should also know that my personal number 2 is Karpatka (a Polish Carpathian mountain cream cake).
Karpatka pronunciation is actually very simple and you read it exactly as it is written – Karpatka 🙂
It is quite possible that I like both of these cakes because they have a very similar texture and they are both filled with vanilla-flavored cream. But there is one significant difference.
My Tips for Making Karpatka:
- Do not flatten the dough; keep it uneven for a unique texture.
- Let all components cool down before assembling.
- The vanilla cream filling can be prepared a few hours in advance.
- Store-bought vanilla pudding can be used in a pinch.
- Refrigerate the cake for a few hours before serving.
- Dust with powdered sugar or top with chocolate glaze before serving.
- For a creamier pudding, add butter once it has cooled down.
- Prevent skin on the custard by covering it with cling film while cooling.
- Enhance the custard cream with amaretto or Kahlua for a special touch.
- Cut into squares before dusting with icing sugar to serve.
Enhancing the Dough’s Texture: For an even better texture in the dough, consider resting it before baking. This allows the gluten in the dough to relax and can result in a more consistent rise and a better overall texture.
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What is karpatka cake?
The main difference is that the kremowka is made with puff pastry and additionally filled with double cream. Plus I also add a drizzle of Amaretto to the vanilla cream filling. The karpatka on the other hand is made with a so-called choux pastry (ciasto parzone in Polish).
The puff pastry is made by folding and rolling the dough with cold butter (or other fat) several times until many layers of choux pastry appear. The choux pastry is made by mixing water, butter, salt, and sugar together and bringing it to a boil. After that, you mix everything together while still hot, and all the ingredients are combined together. Later on, when the dough is cooled down the eggs are added. The choux pastry is also more flexible than the puff pastry.
The karpatka is also less sweet which makes it perfect for the days when I crave more food but not so sweet ones 🙂
Also, the preparation of the karpatka is less time-consuming as the dough is made very fast. Last but not least you can make the whole cake at home and for the kremowka, you might be ending up using store-bought puff pastry. Making your own puff pastry requires a few hours and endless folding of the dough.
Karpatka vs napoleonka
Karpatka is made of steamed dough, and the Napoleon cake is made of puff pastry. Same as kremowka. The difference between the last two cakes is that the karpatka is made of custard mass, and the napoleon is made of cream mass based on double cream (the exact recipe depends on the region).
How to make the simplest choux pastry?
Pour 1 cup of water into a pot and add 150g of butter, a pinch of salt, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, add 1 cup of flour to a bigger bowl and then pour over the content from the pot. Mix with a wooden spoon until all is combined and the dough starts to stick together. Once the dough is ready let it cool down a bit.
Once cooled but not completely cold start adding the 5 eggs one by one, mixing the dough all the time. After that, you can use your choux pastry.
How you can use the choux pastry?
- cream puffs
- profiteroles
- eclairs
- churros
- Paris-Brest
- Beignet
- Gougere
- Pommes dauphine
- Polish Carpathian cake
How to make the filling for karpatka?
Pour 2 cups of milk into a pot and add 3/4 of a cup of granulated sugar. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile mix 1 cup of milk with 2 egg yolks and 1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar, 80g of regular, and 80g of potato starch.
Add the mixture to hot boiling milk and mix quickly. After a few moments, the cream starts to thicken. Cook for about 1 minute and then let it cool completely.
Once the cream is cooled completely add 200g of soft butter (at room temperature) into a mixer and beat until soft and fluffy. Then add the cream into the beaten butter 1 spoon at a time while still mixing.
Use the cream in a Polish Karpatka or other cake of your choice.
Traditional Karpatka – one of the most popular Polish desserts.
Course: Recipe bookCuisine: PolishDifficulty: medium16
servings45
minutes30
minutes2
hours3
hours15
minutesAuthentic Polish Karpatka (Carpathian Cake) recipe.
Keep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
Choux Pastry:
1 cup of water
150g of butter
1 cup of flour
5 eggs
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
Vanilla cream:
3 cups of milk
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
200g of soft butter (at room temperature)
1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar
80g of flour
80g of potato starch (potato flour)
2 egg yolks
Optionally: some powdered sugar to dust the top of the cake
Directions
- Pour 1 cup of water into a pot and add 150g of butter, a pinch of salt, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Bring to a boil.
- Meanwhile, add 1 cup of flour to a bigger bowl and then pour over the content from the pot. Mix with a wooden spoon until all is combined and the dough starts to stick together. Once the dough is ready let it cool down a bit.
- Once cooled but not completely cold start adding the 5 eggs one by one, mixing the dough all the time.
- Divide the dough into 2 parts. Spread each part of the dough on a baking sheet (35x24cm) and bake in the preheated oven at 180°C for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, your dough is baking prepare the vanilla filling.
- Pour 2 cups of milk into a pot and add 3/4 of a cup of granulated sugar. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile mix 1 cup of milk with 2 egg yolks and 1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar, 80g of regular, and 80g of potato starch.
- Add the mixture to hot boiling milk and mix quickly. After a few moments, the cream starts to thicken. Cook for about 1 minute and then let it cool completely.
- Once the cream is cooled completely, add 200g of soft butter (at room temperature) into a bigger bowl or a mixer and beat until soft and fluffy. Then add the cream into the beaten butter 1 spoon at a time while still mixing.
- Place one part of the baked dough on a flat surface and spread it over with the vanilla cream. Then cover with the top layer.
- Transfer the cake to the fridge and let it cool completely for around 2 hours.
- Optionally you can dust the cake with powdered sugar before serving.
- Enjoy 🙂
Notes
- – Be aware that once you add the eggs to the hot dough you will end up having a scrambled choux pastry. So I recommend adding the eggs only when the dough is cold enough.
- – Cut the cake with a sharp knife after some time in the fridge. Otherwise, the cream will come out from the sides while cutting.
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Most popular Polish desserts.
Did you like the recipe? Feel free to check other Polish desserts.
- The best Polish honey cake with caramelized walnuts.
- Pischinger cake with chocolate filling – an authentic Polish dessert.
- WUZETKA (WZ), a traditional Polish dessert.
- How to make ptysie? A delicious Polish dessert?
FAQ
How do you pronounce Karpatka?
Karpatka is pronounced car-pat-kah.
What is the difference between Karpatka and Kremowka?
Karpatka is made with a choux pastry, while Kremowka is made with puff pastry. Karpatka is often referred to as the peasant’s version of Kremowka.
What is Budyn? What if I can’t find it?
Budyn is a Polish vanilla pudding available in pre-mix form. If you can’t find it, you can use any other vanilla-flavored pudding as a filling.
How to store the Carpathian cake?
Store the Karpatka cake for up to 3 days in the refrigerator, in an airtight container. Do not freeze it.
Who invented the Polish Carpathian Mountain Cream Cake?
The inventor of Karpatka is unknown, but it originated in Poland in the 1950s and became popular in the following decades. The name Karpatka was coined around 1972.
Can Karpatka be Made in Different Flavors?
Yes, while the traditional Karpatka is known for its vanilla custard filling, you can experiment with different flavors. Chocolate, lemon, or even fruit-flavored custards can be used. Additionally, adding fruit layers or different types of glazes can create a unique twist on the classic recipe.
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6 comments
[…] Check out our Traditional Karpatka recipe. […]
Sounds wonderful. Thank you so much ch for sharing!!
You are very much welcome Susan. Please let me know how did you like it. Jan
[…] it comes to Polish desserts the most popular ones are Karpatka and […]
Just made it and didn’t work at all! Flat as a pancake!
Hello, I am deeply sorry your recipe didn’t work out. In order to double-check the recipe I did some testing this weekend. I followed the instructions and my Karpatka turned out very well. I ate the last piece yesterday 🙂 Here is a view of it: https://tasteisyours.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_5852-scaled.jpeg Anyway, the reasons for the dough not growing could be several: low temperature of the oven, hot dough when adding the eggs or thin spread in the baking sheet. Hopefully, the next one will turn out great 🙂 In case you have more remarks or questions just drop me a comment or send me an email. Thank you, Sincerely yours, Jan.