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All posts, Blog, Dessert, Easter

Polish Caramel Mazurek Recipe

Name: Polish Caramel Mazurek Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 3 h 40 min
Yield: 15
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 2 sticks (220g) of butter; 2 ½ cups (300g) of all-purpose flour; 2 egg yolks; ½ cup (100g) of icing sugar; 1 can of kajmak OR condensed milk; 1 small jar of dark thick jam; nuts, dried fruits, sweet Easter decorations

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The Polish caramel mazurek or mazurek kajmakowy is made using the sweet kajmak paste and thick jam. Your family will love this traditional Polish Easter dessert!

All About The Polish Caramel Mazurek!

Mazurek is a traditional Polish Easter cake that may have originated in Turkey or may have originated in the Masovian Voivodeship. Of course, some believe the mazurek is named after the famous folk dance, the mazurka.

There are many types of mazureks that are enjoyed at Easter dinners, with the most popular one being the royal mazurek królewski! Of course, the mazurek kajmak is as delicious as the royal mazurek and has a sweet creamy texture that’s tastier!

Lady holding kajmak mazurek in her hand. — Love kajmak mazurek!

What Is Kajmak?

Kajmak is a mixture of milk or cream and sugar that’s cooked and reduced for a long time. It’s similar in taste to the famous dulce de leche.

You can buy kajmak on Amazon but it’s not always as good as homemade kajmak. It’s really easy to make kajmak at home by cooking milk or cream with sugar for a few hours. But if you’re in a hurry, you can cook a closed can of condensed milk in water for an hour or two to make homemade kajmak.

How To Make Polish Caramel Mazurek?

Prepare the dough for the mazurek and chill for an hour. While the dough is refrigerated, prepare the kajmak by cooking a closed can of condensed milk for a few hours. If you’re using store-bought kajmak, ignore this step.

Ingredients for the caramel mazurek. — Ingredients for the caramel mazurek

Dough wrapped in cling film. — Dough left to chill for one hour

Prepare a card paper cutout shaped like an Easter egg. Roll out the dough, cover it with the egg-shaped-cutout, and cut out the excess dough from around it. Use the excess dough to form the edges of the mazurek egg.

Roll out the mazurek dough. — Roll out the mazurek dough

Easter egg shaped cutout on the dough. — Use an Easter-egg-shaped cutout to cut the dough

Easter egg shaped mazurek in a baking tray. — Use the remaining dough to shape the edges of the mazurek

Bake the mazurek kajmakowy for 20 minutes and allow it to cool. Once it has cooled, cover it with a layer of jam and a layer of kajmak. You can leave it like this, or cover it with a layer of any Easter-shaped decorations or nuts before serving.

Baked mazurek before adding filling. — Baked mazurek before adding filling

Add jam to the baked mazurek. — Spread jam over the baked mazurek

Spreading the kajmak over the jam. — Spreading the kajmak over the jam

Polish kajmak mazurek decorated with flowers. — Decorate your Polis kajmak mazurek with flowers or nuts

Tips For Making Mazurek Kajmakowy Perfectly!

If you don’t want to bother cutting the big mazurek, you can use these oval egg-shaped molds to make mini mazureks!
Remember that the mazurek needs to be shorter than 1 inch.
Handle the baked mazurek gently as the crust is quite crumbly.
Decorate with any toppings of your choice – candied peel, whole or chopped nuts, icing flowers, or more.
Serve cold!

FAQs About Polish Caramel Mazurek – Mazurek Kajmakowy

What Are The Other Types Of Mazureks?

Some popular Polish mazurek recipes you can try include:

Royal Mazurek
Chocolate Mazurek
Walnut Mazurek
Poppy Seed Mazurek

What Flavor Jam Should I Use?

Use any thick jam of your choice – plum jam, orange jam, mixed fruit jam – any other jam you like will work.

What To Decorate The Kajmak Mazurek With?

You can add many different decorations on the top of the kajmak mazurek. Some options include:

Any nuts of your choice or a mixture of roasted nuts
Candied fruit peel
Icing flowers
Small chocolate bunnies or baby chicks
Almond flakes
Colorful candy Easter eggs
Easter eggs made from icing

What Other Polish Dishes Can I Make For Easter?

Other Polish dishes that can be made for Easter include:

Polish Caramel Mazurek Recipe

Yield: 15 servings

Polish Caramel Mazurek Recipe

The Polish caramel mazurek or mazurek kajmakowy is made using the sweet kajmak paste and thick jam. Your family will love this traditional Polish Easter dessert!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients

Caramel Mazurek Dough

2 sticks (220g) of butter
2 ½ cups (300g) of all-purpose flour
2 egg yolks
½ cup (100g) of icing sugar

Other

1 can of kajmak OR condensed milk
1 small jar of dark thick jam
nuts, dried fruits, sweet Easter decorations

Instructions

Cut butter into small chunks.
Mix all the ingredients together using a food processor or do it manually on the lightly floured surface.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
If you already have kajmak, skip this step. If you are using condensed milk, pour cold water into a pot. It should cover a closed can of condensed milk completely. Bring to boil, then reduce the heat. Cook slowly for 3-4 hours before turning the heat off. When the can has cooled, you can open it up.
Line a baking sheet (14''x17'') with parchment paper.
Preheat the oven to 356°F (180°C).
Roll out ¾ of the dough on the parchment paper. It should be about ½" (1.5cm) thick.
Using a knife, cut the edges of the dough to shape it into an easter egg. You may print a template to make it easier. Just Google "easter egg template to print".
Use the remaining dough to shape the edges of the egg.
Bake for about 20 minutes.
Allow to cool. Remember that shortcrust pastry can break easily. Transfer it on the parchment paper only.
When the cake has cooled completely (you may even place it in the fridge), spread the jam onto it.
Cover the jam with kajmak.
Decorate with nuts, dried fruits, or sweet Easter decorations.