Plesniak ("Moldy" Cake)

I received this recipe from a Polish friend in 2000, and he demonstrated it in English, but could only write it in Polish–I couldn’t get it translated all these years later until now–I found it on About.com, and it’s the same recipe! My friend’s family used this cake for their birthday celebrations.
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By Barbara Rolek, About.com Guide
“…Don’t be put off by the name of this recipe – Polish moldy cake or plesniak. It’s made with various fillings, but the most popular are prune, cherry or apple. The name for this layered dessert undoubtedly comes from its appearance.

Makes 8-12 servings or 1 (13×9-inch) Cake
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 1 cup sugar, divided
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 9 ounces (1 stick + 2 tablespoons) room-temperature butter
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 3 (12- to 14-ounce) cans prune or cherry pie filling

Instructions

  1. Preparation:

To make the dough: In a medium bowl, beat together egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until thick and lemon-colored. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, butter and vanilla. Then add the egg-yolk mixture and mix thoroughly.

Divide dough into 3 pieces. Mix 1 portion of dough with cocoa powder until well blended. Wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.

To assemble the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 13×9-inch pan with cooking spray. Take out one piece of dough and roll it to fit the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the prune or cherry filling evenly over the base of the cake.

Remove the cocoa-flavored dough from the refrigerator and grate it on top of the fruit filling.

In a medium bowl, beat egg whites with remaining 1/2 cup sugar until stiff peaks form, and spread on top of the grated cocoa dough.

Remove the last portion of dough from the refrigerator and grate it on top of the egg whites. Bake 40-60 minutes or until egg whites are set and top is golden brown. Let cool completely in the pan before slicing and serving.
…” –http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/polishdesserts/r/plesniak.htm

Comments (5)

on

I am intrigued enough to try it. Is it not a real sweet cake? The pie filling adds a lot of the sweetness?

on

Do you use the "Solo" pie filling that is very thick, as opposed to "Wilderness" pie filling that is very runny??

on

I'm willing to try, but there HAS to be a more appealing name for this...what is the Polish word for "moldy" - does it sound more exotic/intriguing/delicious to American ears? Suggestions anybody?

on

i am so going to try this cake, my boyfriend is polish and i would like to make it for him and his family. i will let u know how it turned out.

on

My daughter in law is Polish so I am going to try this recipe and surprise her with it. Hope I can do it justice.