Magda's Cauldron

It’s hard to come up with a worse name. Pleśniak is the name suggesting something moldy. I disagree that it looks a bit like a mold, and I’m sure it was some kind of dad joke that stuck for 40 years. It’s also known as Skubaniec, but this name is almost as bad. It either means to tear something off, or a little bastard. So, as you can see, when it comes to marketing, this cake may lack. But the taste is amazing. It’s five layers: grated crust, blackcurrant jam, grated cocoa crust, meringue, and another layer of grated crust. It’s nicely balanced, sweet, but tangy, crunchy, but soft. And yet another cake that was really popular in the 80s and 90s in Poland.

So tell me, how important is the name of your cake? Would you dare to try this one?

Pleśniak – moldy cake

• Servings: 20 servings
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 min
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Ingredients

• 490g (3 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 200 g (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cold
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 250g + 2 Tbsp (1 cup + 2 Tbsp) caster sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
• 3 Tbsp cold water
• 1 jar (300-400g) black currant jam

Dough

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and a pinch of salt.
2. Add the cold, cubed butter and the 4 egg yolks. Using a pastry cutter, a knife, chop the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the cold water and quickly knead into a smooth dough. You can use stand mixer.
3. Split the dough into 3 equal parts. Take one part and knead in the cocoa powder until the color is uniform.
4. Wrap all three balls (2 plain, 1 cocoa) in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Meringue

1. In a clean bowl, whisk the 4 egg whites until soft peaks form.
2. Gradually add the 1 cup (250g) of sugar, whisking constantly until the meringue is thick, glossy, and stiff.

Assamble

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C / 350°F. Grease and line a 9-inch (24cm) springform pan or square baking tin.
2. Take the first plain dough ball and grate it on the coarse side of a box grater directly into the bottom of the pan. Press down lightly to form an even base.
3. Spread a thick, even layer of the blackcurrant jam over the dough.
4. Grate the cocoa dough ball over the jam.
5. Gently spread the meringue over the cocoa shavings.
6. Grate the final plain dough ball over the meringue.
7. Bake for approximately 45 minutes until the top is golden brown.
8. Allow to cool completely before slicing. Dust with the icing sugar.

Recipe from Every cake you bake