There is a famous line that most Polish people have heard at home “Zjedz, bo się zmarnuje. Eat it, or it goes to waste. Guilt tripping. It wasn’t cruelty on purpose; it was survival logic from people who had real reasons to fear hunger. The problem is that logic doesn’t uninstall itself just because the circumstances have changed.
I still eat the leftovers when I’m not hungry. I know I do it. I know where it comes from. But bajaderka is a smarter answer to save the food, without pressuring the person. But I’m not going to pretend I’ve figured it out either.
This is the version I make. The amounts are loose on purpose; bajaderka is supposed to adapt to what you have, not the other way around.
Strawberry buttermilk & almond cake
Ingredients
- 300 to 400g, crumbled leftover cake, biscuits, muffins whatever you’ve got. Avoid anything with cream filling, gelatine, or fresh fruit. Nuts and dried fruit inside the cake are fine.
- A small handful of raisins, soaked in warm water or in something stronger
- A handful of chopped nuts
- 2-3 tablespoons of sugar
- 100 to 200g of jam, the wetter your cake crumbs, the less jam you need
- 60g butter
- 50g dark chocolate
- 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
- a few drops of almond extract, or a small splash of rum, amaretto, whatever fits
- 4 to 5 tablespoons of desiccated coconut for rolling
Directions
2. In a small saucepan, melt together the butter, chocolate, cocoa, and sugar over low heat. Stir until smooth, then take it off the heat and let it cool.
3. Pour the chocolate mixture over the crumbs. Add the jam, the raisins, the nuts, the almond extract. Mix everything together with a spoon first, then your hands. You’re looking for a mass that holds its shape when you press it. If it’s crumbly, add more jam or a splash of milk. If it’s too wet, add more crumbs.
4. Roll into balls roughly the size of a walnut. Coat each one in desiccated coconut.
5. Keep them in the fridge. They’re better the next day.
Magda's Cauldron 
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