Babka Cytrynowa – Polish Lemon Cake
April 11th, 2009 by Scott |
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Easter is a big deal in Poland, a country where 90% of the population are Roman Catholic. The end of lent is marked by feasting throughout the Easter weekend, and this cake “Babka Cytrynowa” (literally translated as “lemon Grandma cake”) is just one of the many traditional dishes that is used to mark the occasion.
Polish Lemon Cake
Babka (or “Baba”) is also popular in Russia and other Eastern European countries, and (unlike this recipe) usually includes yeast as an ingredient. It is also popular with Jews, who’s families presumably originated in these countries, where it has developed into something quite different; a kind of pleated sweet bread usually topped or filled with chocolate and cinnamon.
This recipe is also submitted to the Easter Cake Bake 2009 event.
Babka Cytrynowa Recipe – Ingredients
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1/2 Cup / 100g Cup Plain Flour, sifted
- 1/2 Cup / 100g Potato Flour, sifted
- 1/2 Cup / 100g White Sugar
- Juice of 1/2 Lemon
- Zest of whole lemon
- 9 tbsp Mild Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 Handful Raisins
Babka Cytrynowa Recipe – Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees c / 355 degrees f.
- Mix flour(s) with baking powder into a bowl.
- Separate your egg yolks and whites. Beat egg whites in a bowl till they form soft peaks, then add the sugar. Mix until combined, then add egg yolks and beat gently until combined.
- Next to add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Add 4 tbsp of flour and 3 tbsp oil; mix well, then repeat until all oil / flour mixture is used up.
- Sprinkle the raisins with a little flour (this should stop them sinking in the cake) and then distribute into the cake mix along with the lemon juice and zest.
- Pour the cake mix out into your tin and put into the oven for approximately 35 minutes; check with a cake tester (a wooden kebab stick did the job for us) to make sure the centre is dry before removing.
You could decorate your cake as we have with a drizzling of white chocolate sauce (melted white chocolate mixed with a little butter and double cream), or you could just sprinkle with icing sugar. Either way, it’ll be delicious!
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Tags: baba, babka, cake, easter, polish
Filed under: Sweet.
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That is delicious looking baba!
I’m making the same cake I was making for our wedding (chocolate, coffee, whipped cream), just in chocolate egg version… I will sprinkle them on the top. It was request from friends that we are having breakfast tomorrow
Hi Margot,
Sounds fantastic. Off to browse your blog now.
Looks very yummy! We make the same babkas in Lithuania too!I like making babkas of half chocolate and half lemon pastry as well. It looks inside pretty when cut into pieces!
I’ve not tried the half / half version myself but I’m sure Gosia has. Happy Easter from both of us!
Very Very pretty!
Thanks. For once, I agree
What a beautiful babka! I love how you decorated it.
Thanks but I can’t steal credit; decoration from Gosia this time.
oh my! it looks very dainty doesn’t it? i know my grandma would approve!
Well then your Grandma is welcome to have a piece. Have a great Easter!
It looks beautiful! Happy Easter!
I Wesolych Swiat Wielkanocnych dla ciebie tez Dagmar!
This looks lovely! I must try and bake this for my Polish-French chef friend. He will be so pleased and impressed.
Baking Polish food for Polish people is either going to make you look really good or really bad depending how it turns out
I hope this recipe works for you – it certainly should! He’ll almost definitely know it, too – it’s very popular.
This cake is so adorable and it looks delicious! I would love to try making this!
Considering it was made yesterday it’s now almost gone. I love it, myself, and can’t get enough right now!
That is a fine looking cake!
We have a huge pot of kapusta bubbling away on the stove right now . . . some cake would go well with it!
Happy Easter.
And a Happy Easter to you, too…Although I’m not sure of the virtues of cake with cabbage
That looks awesome, hope you’re going to save a slice for me!
You got one. Hang on, too late…I ate it
Booooo.
Droolll….looks amazing and I love white chocolate.
Me too. It works really well with the lemon, IMO.
It looks good perched there on it’s throne of easter eggs
Ta. Unfortunately the eggs had nuts in them and weren’t as good as the chocolate filled ones…Never mind, you can’t have it all, I guess!
Babka Cytrynowa looks a million times more tempting – and tasty – than Simnel cake! Yum!
You know what? I don’t think I’ve ever eaten Simnel cake. How odd is that?
This is beautiful!
Thanks
Fantastic!
Agreed. Want a slice?
awwww… lovely cake! and yum to chocolate Easter eggs
The little eggs in the picture are without chocolate unfortunately
Stunning photography and styling! Really interesting addition of potato flour too – I’m itching to try it
It seems weird but there’s actually a lot of recipes in some European countries that use it. It certainly doesn’t detract from the cake.
This looks great – thanks !
You’re welcome
I love lemon cakes… I love lemon anything – and this one looks fantastic!
I would agree, but…We had dinner at my Dad’s house once where he cooked “Farmhouse bread topped with lemon and anchovy flavoured beans”. I don’t like to be nasty, but it was awful! That’d put you off lemon for a while.
Oh, what a beautiful cake! Hope you and your family had a very happy Easter.
We did, thanks. The same to you and yours
Beautiful cake!
I agree; it’s easy to make and tastes delicious too. Why not give it a go?
[...] you see pictured is nothing more than our Babka Cytrynowa (Polish Lemon Cake) recipe given a seasonal twist with the inclusion of Clementine juice and [...]