Perfect for lazy Sunday afternoons or even weekdays, the lightness of this pink Polish lemon cake contrasts with the dense and cool apple custard filling.
Who Invented Polish Lemon Cake?
No one knows who invented the Polish lemon cake. It, along with other lemon cakes may be a derivative of the English pound cake that came into being in the 1700s.
Many countries have their own versions of lemon cake. Some are plain sponge cakes, some are dense lemon cakes, some include a lemon drizzle or a fondant covering. The Polish version includes an apple custard filling that is rich and dense.
How To Make The Tastiest Placek Cytrynowy?
Step I – Make The Lemon Cake
Prepare the cake batter using butter, sugar, egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, baking powder, and flour, and mix well.
Beat the egg whites separately till they form stiff peaks and then add to the cake batter. Mix gently.
Pour this batter onto a pre-lined pan and bake.
Step II – Make The Apple Custard
Grate some peeled apples. Make sugar syrup and cook the grated apples.
While the apples are cooking, dissolve the jelly in a cup of hot water. Add the jelly to the apples and allow it to cool down.
Whip the heavy cream and mix it with the apple jelly.
Step III – Make The Pink Frosting
Melt lemon juice, icing sugar, raspberry syrup, and butter in a pot. This will be your easy homemade pink frosting!
Step IV – Assemble The Lemon Cake
Cut the cake in half horizontally. You can use a knife, but it’s easier with this tool.
Spread the custard on the lower layer of cake and cover it with the top layer. Cover the top layer with pink frosting and refrigerate.
Once the cake has cooled for about half an hour or longer, cut into slices and serve!
Tips For Making Placek Cytrynowy Lemon Cake
- You can also add lemon zest to the apple custard if you want it more tangy.
- If you replace the apple filling with blueberry filling, it’s called Cytrynowy placek z borówkami.
- If you’re in a hurry, you can use store-bought cream cheese frosting or buttercream frosting and mix a few drops of pink color in it.
- If you don’t find raspberry syrup, you can use raspberry jam instead.
- You can add zested lemon on top of the pink frosting.
- You can skip the apple custard if you want to. The cake will taste just as delicious with only pink frosting.
- If you wish, you can replace the pink frosting with a dusting of powder sugar.
FAQS About Pink Polish Lemon Cake [Placek Cytrynowy]
Do I Have To Grate The Apples?
The apple custard tastes better when grated. If you wish, you can dice the apple fine instead. Or if you’re short on time, you can use store-bought apple pie filling in the custard.
How Long Can I Store The Placek Cytrynowy?
You can store the lemon cake for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator. Move it to an airtight container or cover the cake platter with plastic wrap. If you live in a cooler climate, you can also store it outside in a cloche for 2 to 3 days.
What Alternatives Can I Use Instead Of Sugar Frosting?
If you don’t want to use sugar frosting, you can make a paste of homemade cottage cheese, lemon zest, and honey and use that.
What Is The Difference Between The Placek Cytrynowy And The Babka Cytrynowa?
The placek cytrynowy is a lemon sponge cake with an apple custard filling, while the babka cytrynowa is a bundt-shaped lemon cake with a lemon glaze. The babka is said to remind us of the long skirts worn by our grandmothers.
Pink Polish Lemon Cake Recipe [Placek Cytrynowy]
Pink Polish Lemon Cake Recipe (Placek Cytrynowy)
Perfect for lazy Sunday afternoons or even weekdays, the lightness of this pink Polish lemon cake contrasts with dense cool apple custard.
Ingredients
For The Cake
- 3 ½ cup of flour
- 3 ½ cup of icing sugar
- 8 eggs
- 2 ½ tbsps of baking powder
- 2 lemons
For The Apple Custard
- 1 cup of butter
- 5 apples
- 8 heaped tbsps of icing sugar
- 1 red jelly mix (galaretka)
- 1 cup of heavy cream
For The Pink Frosting
- 3 heaped tbsps of icing sugar
- 1 tbsp of butter
- 1 lemon
- 2 tbsps of raspberry syrup
Instructions
Making And Baking A Lemon Cake
- Preheat the oven to 356°F (180°C).
- Oil the 9x13" cake pan or put the parchment paper inside.
- Pour hot water oven 1 lemon. Scrub the lemon to remove the wax.
- Zest a lemon.
- Juice 2 lemons.
- Separate egg yolks from egg whites.
- Mix butter with sugar until it changes the color to whitish.
- Start adding egg yolks, one by one, mixing all the time.
- Add lemon zest, lemon juice, baking powder, and flour, mixing all the time.
- In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff.
- Using a spoon, carefully add the beaten egg whites to the rest of the dough. Stir in one direction, very slowly.
- Pour the dough onto the cake pan. Bake for about 40 minutes.
How To Make The Custard?
- Peel and grate the apples.
- In a pot, melt 3 heaped tbsps of sugar with 4 tbsps of water.
- Throw grated apples onto the sugar syrup and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring from time to time.
- In the meantime, dissolve the jelly mix in 1 cup of hot water.
- Add the jelly onto the apples. Cool off.
- Whip the heavy cream.
- Mix the whipped cream with the cold apple jelly.
How To Make The Pink Frosting?
- Juice 1 lemon.
- In a pot, melt 8 heaped tbsps of icing sugar with lemon juice, 2 tbsps of raspberry syrup, and 1 tbsp of butter.
How To Assemble A Lemon Cake?
- Cut the cake in half, using a knife or this tool.
- Spread the custard over the lower layer of cake.
- Cover it with the upper layer of cake.
- Pour the pink frosting on top. Cool off.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
40Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 186Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 148mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 16gProtein: 3g
These data are indicative and calculated by Nutritionix
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