Royal Mazurek Polish Easter Cake

By Chef Eddy Van Damme

Prep Time:

50m

Bake/Cook Time:

30m - 35m

Yield:

15-18 servings

This Royal Mazurek Polish Easter Cake is traditionally served around Easter time. The shortcrust dough is made using boiled egg yolks to create a very fragile, melt-in-your-mouth crust, and filled with a combination of fruit jams, dried fruits, and nuts.

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Products Used

Confectioners Powdered Sugar Poly Bag

Ingredients

5 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour*
1 1/2 cups Imperial Sugar Confectioners Powdered Sugar
1 cup sliced almonds or 1 cup almond meal/flour
3 sticks unsalted butter, very soft
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
Zest of 1 lemon (without white bitter pith)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup strawberry fruit spread
1/3 cup apricot fruit spread
1/4 cup sliced almonds for decoration

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
The following method will make beautiful yellow (not green) egg yolks time after time. Place eggs in medium saucepan and cover generously with water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling remove from heat and cover with a lid.
After 18 minutes remove from water and when cool enough to handle peel the eggs. Save egg whites for a snack.
Press boiled and cooled yolks thru a sieve directly onto measured flour. Stir yolks delicately into flour and set aside.
Place sugar and sliced almonds in a food processor and mix until almonds are fine as corn meal. (Omit this step if using almond meal.) Set aside.
Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar-almond mixture and mix well. Add vanilla, almond extract, lemon zest, cinnamon and salt.
Add flour/yolk mixture and mix until dough forms. Do not over mix to ensure that dough stays tender.
Press slightly less than half of dough onto a plastic food film-lined cookie sheet about 1/2-inch-thick and place in the freezer.
Press remaining dough evenly into a 9x13-inch baking pan.
When chilled dough is firm enough to roll remove it from the freezer.
This dough is soft, so rolling it on floured parchment paper is best. When it becomes too soft it can always be transferred to the freezer by sliding parchment paper onto a cookie sheet.
Roll dough about 1/4-inch-thick and 18-20 inches long. Cut dough into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Sliding a metal spatula or ruler underneath the strip makes it easier to transfer strips onto the baking pan. Arrange strips to create diamond shapes.
Fill diamond shapes with fruit spread.
Place in oven for approximately 30-35 minutes or until light golden.
Decorate with sliced almonds and sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar.