Polish Coffee Crumb Cake Placek Z Kruszonką Food

POLISH COFFEE CAKE (MY GRANDMA'S RECIPE!)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Grate in the lemon rind.
• In a small saucepan on the stove, melt the butter and milk together over medium-low heat. Remove from heat, and allow to cool to about 108°, you don't want to kill your yeast because your milk is too hot. If it is really hot, to speed up the cooling process, I put it in the freezer for a few minutes.
• Using a wooden spoon, begin to stir the milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Once halfway combined, stir in the eggs. Fold everything together until just blended.
• Grease and flour a large baking pan. Pour in the batter, it will be thick, and spread evenly in the pan.
• Cover and allow to rise until it doubles in size, 1-2 hours. I stick mine in the oven with the oven light on, it works pretty quick! (Just be sure not to turn your oven on while it's in there!)
• When it's doubled in size, preheat your oven to 350°. (make sure it's not in there still!)
• To make the crumb topping, aka the best thing ever, in a medium sized bowl, stir together the sugar and flour. Cut the butter in in chunks, and using a large fork, begin to mash the butter into the dry ingredients. After a couple minutes, I tend to just use my hand, its much more efficient, and you get a better crumb.
• Using your hands, while simultaneously squeezing into chunks, spread the crumb topping across the risen cake.
• Pop in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes before devouring.

POLISH COFFEE CRUMB CAKE (PLACEK Z KRUSZONKą)

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat milk and butter on medium low heat and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine flour and confectioners sugar. With the mixer set on low speed, slowly add the milk and butter mixture to the flour mixture in a stream until well combined. The batter will be thick. Cool until room temperature, about 1 hour (place in refrigerator to speed up the cooling process).
• Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease and flour or line with parchment paper a 9 inch x 13 inch x 2 inch pan.
• Using a large-holed grater, grate cold/frozen butter in a bowl. In a separate bowl, stir to combine sugar and flour. Sprinkle over grated butter. With the tips of your fingers, quickly work butter into flour mixture until pea-size crumbs form.
• Using an electric mixer set on low speed, mix into cooled batter eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, and baking powder until just combined. Spread batter into prepared pan.
• Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over top of the batter. Bake in preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate 1 hour and up to overnight. Cut into squares and serve.

POLISH QUICK CAKE WITH FRUIT (PLACEK Z OWOCAMI)

Steps:

• Beat butter and sugar until smooth an creamy. Add 1 egg at a time, alternating with flour and beat well until blended.
• Pour batter into grease 9 x 13 pan.
• Arrange fruit such as sliced peaches, apples dusted with cinnamon or plums sliced in half on top of cake so it's well distributed.
• Bake at 350°F 30 - 40 minutes until cake is golden. Cool and dust with icing sugar.
• Be sure every guest gets a nice slice of fruit on top!

GRANDMA'S PLACEK

Steps:

• Warm milk over low heat until scalded (soft bubbles form around edge of pot) but not boiling.
• Add butter and remove from heat.
• Mix in sugar, salt, nutmeg and vanilla. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, sprinkle yeast into water in 2 cup measure,
• stir in 1/2 teaspoon sugar.
• Let stand undisturbed to "proof" about 10 minutes.
• Add eggs to milk mixture, one at a time, beating well.
• Add yeast-in-water mixture.
• Add flour with raisins.
• Knead dough 5 minutes, adding extra flour as needed.
• Placed kneaded dough into greased pan and grease top of dough to prevent it from drying out. Keep warm to rise until double, about 1 to 2 hours.
• Knead dough again (for 5 minutes) and put into greased loaf pans. Let rise 1 to 2 hours again.
• This recipe makes approximately 1 bunt, 2 large and 2 small loaf pans.
• Crumble topping ingredients together.
• Add topping to bread in loaf pans.
• Preheat oven and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.
• Bread is done when tester comes out clean.

POLISH FRESH PLUM CAKE--PLACEK Z SLIWKAMI

Steps:

• Lightly coat a 13"x9" pan with cooking spray. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and 3/4 cup sugar. Add 1/2 cup softened butter, milk and eggs. Beat at medium speed 4 minutes.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Place plums on top, cut side up, pushing down slightly into batter.
• Cut remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cloves into 3 tablespoons cold butter and sprinkle over plums. Bake about 40 minutes or until a toothpick tests clean.
• Let the cake cool in the pan so the plum juices will be reabsorbed to create a moist cake. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if desired, and cut into 12 squares.

PLACEK Z KRUSZONKA

Steps:

• Place sugar and butter in a large bowl or stand mixer. Scald the milk, and pour it into the bowl with sugar and butter. Stir until butter is completely melted. Let cool to 110 degrees.
• Add yeast and mix well. Add egg-salt mixture and half the flour, stirring constantly. Add the vanilla and raisins, if using, and mix well. Add the remaining flour and mix well. The dough will be sticky.
• Turn out into a greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled. Grease two (9x5-inch) loaf pans and make the crumb topping in a medium bowl by combining flour and sugar, and cutting in the butter with your fingers. Set aside.
• Using slightly dampened hands, punch down dough and divide it in half. Place in prepared pans. Sprinkle half the crumb topping on each cake. Place on a baking sheet (to catch any crumbs that fall off while baking), cover with greased plastic wrap, and let rise until dough mounds slightly over the top.
• Heat oven to 300 degrees and bake 50 minutes or until instant-read thermometer registers 190 degrees. Remove from oven. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out and cool coffee cakes completely on their side on a wire rack. Best if eaten within a few days of making, but freezes nicely.