Karpatka (Polish Carpathian Cream Cake)

A recipe for Karpatka (Polish Carpathian Cream Cake)! Two layers of wavy choux pastry are filled with a creamy custard and topped with powdered sugar to resemble the Carpathian Mountains.

Baking Bloggers

Created by Sue of Palatable Pastime, #BakingBloggers get together monthly to highlight different baking projects.

For September, we are featuring the Baking of Poland! I am joining in with a recipe for Karpatka (Polish Carpathian Cream Cake).

Karpatka (Polish Carpathian Cream Cake)

Karpatka is an impressive and decadent Polish cake similar in style to the Napoleonka (Kremówka Papieska). Both cakes are filled with a rich pastry cream, but the Karpatka is made with two layers of a wavy pâte à choux instead of puff pastry.

Once topped with a generous dusting of powdered sugar, the cake resembles the snow capped Carpathian/Karpaty Mountain range that stretches across Central and Eastern Europe.

Making the Choux Pastry

To make the pâte à choux base, water and butter are heated on the stove, then the flour mixture is quickly stirred in the form a thick paste. You should continue to stir over low heat until the dough pulls away from the bottom and sides of the pan. Take care not to overheat or the mixture will start to separate.

Allow the dough to cool to room temperature before beating in the eggs, one at a time. If the dough is too hot, you may cook the eggs and end up with scrambled pieces. Once the eggs are completely mixed in, divide the dough between two 10 inch (25.5 centimeter) round springform pans.

I like to use a silicone spatula to spread the dough across the bottom of the pan, creating waves and dents over the surface. Do not smooth out the top of the dough. This irregular pattern will create the mountainous look as the pastry puffs in the oven.

If you only have one pan available, bake the dough halves one at a time, keeping the other half covered with plastic wrap at room temperature until ready to bake.

Do not open the door while the pâte à choux is in the oven or the puffed waves may collapse. Once golden, turn off the heat and leave the pastries in the oven with the door propped open for about 10 minutes. This will prevent a sudden change in temperature.

Making the Cream Filling

The filling of the cake is a thick Krem Budyniowy (custard cream). Some recipes also include a layer of jam or marmalade such as a rose petal jam for a bit of contrast.

To add a light vanilla flavor, I whisked in 1 1/2 (18 grams) vanilla sugar. Small packets of vanilla sugar can be found in the European section of many larger supermarkets. It is also easy to make at home. Scrape out the seeds of one vanilla bean and mix well with 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar. Store in an airtight container with the scraped out vanilla beans at room temperature until ready to use.

If you do not have vanilla sugar available, swap for 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste.

The pastry cream needs to be thick enough to hold its shape and set between the two pâte à choux sheets. To get that texture, I used a combination of egg yolks, potato starch, and flour. If you do not have potato starch available, swap for 3 tablespoons cornstarch.

Slowly add the hot milk to the egg mixture while constantly whisking to gently warm them and keep the mixture smooth without ending up with scrambled pieces.

After adding the eggs to the pan with the milk, take care to not increase the heat to try to speed up the process. The potato starch cannot handle high heat for too long and you run the risk of creating a cooked, curdled cream. Stir constantly (especially the bottom and sides) and heat just until the mixture is thickened to the consistency of pudding.

After forming the cream, cover with plastic wrap and make sure the plastic is touching the surface of the cream. This will keep a film from forming over the top.

For best results, the cream and the softened butter both have to be completely at room temperature before mixing together. If the pastry cream is too warm, it will melt the butter. If too cold, it will chill the butter too quickly and form a grainy texture.

This pastry cream uses five large egg yolks. Looking for ways to use up the extra egg whites? Try my:

• Langues de Chat (French Cat Tongue Cookies)
• Matcha Macarons with Chocolate Ganache
• Paciencia Cookies (Filipino Meringue Cookies)

Assembling the Karpatka

Allow the baked choux pastries to cool completely to room temperature before assembling with the cream filling.

Pick which pastry looks the best and set that one aside to use as the top.

Place the bottom pastry back in the springform pan. Cover with an even layer of the prepared cream, then top with the set-aside pastry sheet.

After assembling, the Karpatka needs to set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (ideally 3) to overnight. Slice into wedges and serve alongside tea or coffee for quite the wonderful treat.

Refrigerate leftovers for up to three days in an airtight container. With time, the pastry will soak in moisture from the cream.

Check out what everyone else made:

• Baba Kartoflana (Polish Potato Pie) from Food Lust People Love
• Babki Śmietankowe (Cream Tarts) from Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking
• Kapusta Casserole (Polish Cabbage, Potato, and Bacon Bake) from Making Miracles
• Karpatka (Polish Carpathian Cream Cake) from Tara’s Multicultural Table
• Kolaczki (Jam-Filled Polish Cookies) from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Kotlety Ziemniaczane from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Mom Klik’s Breaded Pork Chops from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Oven Braised Pork with Sour Cream (Karkówka w śmietanie) from Palatable Pastime
• Piernik (Polish Gingerbread Cake) from Caroline’s Cooking
• Polish Stuffed Cabbage Rolls from Cookaholic Wife
• Veg Pierogi Casserole from Sneha’s Recipe

This recipe was originally posted in September 2020 and updated in February 2025.

Karpatka (Polish Carpathian Cream Cake) Recipe

Adapted from Rose Petal Jam

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5 from 1 vote

Karpatka (Polish Carpathian Cream Cake)

A recipe for Karpatka (Polish Carpathian Cream Cake)! Two layers of wavy choux pastry are filled with a creamy custard and topped with powdered sugar to resemble the Carpathian Mountains.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Polish

Keyword cake, choux pastry, cream, dessert, pâte à choux, Poland, Polish

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 1 Cake

Ingredients

Pâte à Choux:

• 1 cup (240 milliliters) water
• 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 large eggs

Cream:

• 5 large egg yolks
• 2/3 cup (132 grams) granulated sugar divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (18 grams) vanilla sugar or 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
• 1/4 cup (40 grams) potato starch
• 3 tablespoons (25 grams) all-purpose flour
• 3 cups (710 milliliters) whole milk

For serving:

• 14 tablespoons (200 grams) unsalted butter softened completely at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

To make the pâte à choux:

• Preheat oven to 400˚F (200˚C). Grease two 10 inch (25.5 centimeter) round springform pans with butter, then line the bottom with parchment.
• In a medium saucepan, place the water and 1 cup (227 grams) butter over medium heat.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Once the butter has completely melted, reduce heat to low and add the flour mixture all at once. Immediately beat with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until fully incorporated and continue to stir until the dough lifts from the sides and bottom of the pan, about 2 minutes.
• Remove the dough from heat and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a large bowl. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Once the dough has cooled, beat the eggs into the dough, one at a time, until well-combined with a smooth and glossy texture.
• Divide the dough into two equal pieces.
• Place each piece in the prepared springform pans and spread the dough to cover the bottom, making an uneven texture with dents and waves across the surface. Do not smooth out the dough. These waves will create the mountainous shape as it bakes.
• Bake both springform pans (I like to place them on baking sheets just in case any butter or moisture leaks out) in the preheated oven until puffed and golden, 20-25 minutes. Do not open the oven door until it is nearly done.
• Turn off the oven and prop open the door slightly using the wooden handle of a spoon. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before removing from the oven and continuing to cool to room temperature.

To make the cream:

• In a medium bowl, whisk the 5 egg yolks with 1/3 cup (66 milligrams) of the granulated sugar and the vanilla sugar until light and smooth. Set aside.
• In another medium bowl, whisk together the potato starch and flour.
• In a large saucepan, place the milk and remaining 1/3 cup (66 milligrams) granulated sugar over medium low heat.
• Once steaming, slowly pour in a tablespoon (15 milliliters) of the heated milk into the egg mixture while continuing to whisk.
• Once incorporated, slowly pour in another 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) of the heated milk while whisking the eggs. Repeat this process another 3 times (for a total of about 1 1/2 cups/355 milliliters of the milk) to temper the eggs.
• Whisk the potato starch and flour mixture into the heated eggs.
• Once incorporated, reduce heat to low and slowly pour the egg mixture back into the pot with the remaining milk while continuing to whisk.
• Continue to stir, especially the bottom and sides of the pan, until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of pudding. Remove from heat and transfer to a heat-safe bowl.
• Cover the top of the cream with plastic wrap, making sure it is directly touching the top, and allow to cool to room temperature.

To assemble the Karpatka:

• In a large bowl, beat together the softened 14 tablespoons (200 grams) butter with the 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
• Whisk the room temperature cream until smooth, then add a spoonful of the cream to the bowl with the light and fluffy butter mixture. Beat until incorporated, then repeat with another spoonful of cream. Continue to add cream until completely mixed into the butter.
• Pick the best looking choux pastry and set it aside to use as the top of the cake.
• Place the other pastry back in the bottom of the springform pan.
• Pour the cream over the choux pastry in the pan in an even layer. Place the set-aside choux pastry over the cream, pressing very lightly to evenly seal.
• Cover the cake in the springform pan with a layer of plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to overnight to set.
• Remove the set cake from the refrigerator and gently remove from the springform pan.
• Place the cake on the desired stand and cover with a layer of powdered sugar.
• Cut into wedges and serve immediately.