Polish piegus or poppy seed cake is made with a poppy seed dough topped with a delicious custard and peach filled jelly. Serve for dessert when you want something cooling and exceptional!
What Is Piegus?
This poppy seed and peach cake is a traditional Polish dessert made with a poppy seed dough covered with custard and a peach jelly. It requires a few hours to set, but not too much prep time.
The poppy seed cake is named after the hundreds of poppy seeds dotting it, and the word piegus or piegusek literally means ” the person with freckles”.
You can think of it as a makowiec cake where the dough and the filling are mixed together to form the dough. Some recipes for piegus makowe ciasto z biaekalso use grated apple in the filling, but we don’t.
Prepare this cool cake for warm summer evenings when you want a dessert that’s almost an ice cream!
If Poppies Contain Opium, Is It Safe To Eat The Piegus Cake?
Poppy production is well-regulated in most countries nowadays. So only poppies that have a very low morphine content are harvested and used for food purposes. So yes, it’s safe to eat the piegus cake without any side effects.
How To Make Polish Peach Poppy Seed Cake
Step I – Make The Piegus Dough
Cook and drain poppy seeds.
While you preheat the oven, prepare the piegus dough. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff before adding sugar and beating again.
In a separate bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients. Then, add egg white foam using a spoon. Pour the dough into lined baking pans and bake for half an hour, or longer if needed. Once baked, turn the cake over and allow to cool.
Step II – Prepare The Piegus Custard And Jelly
Make the jelly following the instructions on the package. It’s better to add less water (30% less) to make the jelly thicker.
When it comes to the custard, it’s very similar to my budyn recipe. Follow the link for the tips.
Step III – Assemble The Piegus Cake
Cover the cake with custard and then top it with peach slices. Cover it with cold jelly. Leave in the fridge to set.
Tips For Making The Tastiest Polish Piegus Cake!
- If you can’t find yellow or orange jelly, use any jelly of your choice.
- The piegus cake tastes better if made a day in advance.
- Soak the poppy seeds overnight for better results.
- You can add some poppy seed filling to the custard as well.
- If you’re in a hurry, you can replace the custard with pre-made coconut cream or simply use a store-bought icing.
- Serve with whipped cream or hot chocolate!
FAQs About Making Polish Peach Poppy Seed Cake
What Other Poppy Seed Cakes Can You Make?
Other Polish poppy seed dishes that you can try are:
What Does Piegus Mean?
Piegus (piegusek) means ” the person with freckles”. The cake is named such because of the poppy seed that look like freckles in the dough.
Which Flavor Jelly Should I Use?
The most used flavors of jelly are orange jelly or yellow pineapple jelly. But if you cannot find these, use any other jellies of your choice – strawberry jelly, peach jelly, mixed fruit jelly, or others.
How To Store Piegus Cake?
Store the Polish piegus cake in the refrigerator and serve cold! Finish within 4 to 5 days.
Can I Freeze Leftover Piegus Cake?
No, since the piegus cake is made with custard which will change texture when frozen, it’s best not to freeze it.
Piegus – Polish Peach Poppy Seed Cake Recipe
Piegus - Polish Peach Poppy Seed Cake Recipe
Polish piegus or poppy seed cake is made with a poppy seed dough topped with a delicious custard and peach filled jelly. Serve for dessert when you want something cooling and rare!
Ingredients
Piegus Dough Ingredients
- 8 egg whites
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of poppy seed
- 1 stick (120g) of butter
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- 2 tsps of baking powder
Piegus Custard Ingredients
- 1 stick (110g) of butter
- 8 egg yolks
- ½ cup of sugar
- 4 cups of milk
- 4 tbsps of all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsps of potato or corn starch
Others
- 1 can of peach slices
- 5 oz (150g) of yellow/orange jelly mix
Instructions
How To Make The Piegus Dough?
- Cover poppy seed with water and cook for 30 minutes.
- Drain poppy seed, making sure it's completely dry.
- Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C).
- Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff.
- Add sugar and beat again.
- Mix poppy seeds with butter, baking powder, and flour.
- Using a spoon, carefully add egg white foam to the poppy seed mixture.
- Pour the dough onto the 9'' round baking pan lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 45 minutes. After baking, turn the cake upside down and allow to cool.
How To Make The Piegus Custard And Jelly?
- Pour 3 cups of milk into the pot.
- Add sugar, egg yolks, and whip it together until you will get a smooth, yellow color.
- Pour 1 cup of milk into the small bowl.
- Add flour, potato starch, and mix until dissolved.
- Place a pot on the stove, and cook slowly, stirring all the time.
- When it nearly boils, add milk with flour and you will get the consistency of pudding. Allow to cool.
- When the pudding is cold, beat it with 1 cup of butter.
- Make the jelly, following the instructions on the package (it's recommended to add less water, to make the jelly thicker).
How To Assemble Piegus Cake?
- Spread the custard on the cake.
- Cover with peach slices.
- Finally, pour the cold jelly over the cake.
- Place in the fridge and wait until the jelly has set.
Recommended Products
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Peach Jelly Mix - Galaretka brzoskwiniowa -
Lemon Jelly Mix - Galaretka cytrynowa -
Canned Peaches - Brzoskwinie w puszce -
Butter Unsalted - Masło -
Shredded Coconut - Wiórki kokosowe -
Sugar - Cukier -
Whole Poppy Seed - Mak -
Rapeseed Oil - Olej Rzepakowy -
Baking Powder - Proszek do pieczenia -
Parchment Paper Roll - Papier do pieczenia -
Round Cake Pan - Okrągła blacha tortowa -
Iodized Table Salt - Sól -
Eggs Organic Cage-Free
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