Traditional Polish boiled lemon mazurek

This traditional Polish boiled lemon mazurek is light as sponge cake, slightly chewy, with a texture similar to a macaron, intensely lemony and wonderfully old-fashioned. It’s the kind of Easter mazurek that’s rarely baked nowadays, so I wanted to return to traditional Polish recipes. I loved it from the very first bite! Wonderfully tangy, not overly sweet and staying fresh for several days, it makes a beautiful addition to any Easter table alongside babkas, cheesecakes and more modern mazurek varieties.

Note: choose organic, unwaxed lemons with thin skins.

Ingredients for the boiled lemon mazurek:

• 1 medium organic unwaxed lemon*
• 200 g icing sugar
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 65 g cornflour

All the ingredients should be at room temperature.

Place the whole lemon (with the peel on) into a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and simmer for 20–30 minutes, or until the lemon is soft. The cooking time depends on the thickness of the peel. Do not overcook, as the lemon may split and lose its juice into the water. Remove the lemon and leave it to cool completely.

Cut the cooled lemon into pieces, removing all the pips. Place the lemon into a food processor (or use a blender) and blend until completely smooth. Add the icing sugar and blend again until fully combined. Add the egg yolks, followed by the cornflour, and blend until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. In a separate clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold them gently into the lemon mixture in three additions, using a spatula and taking care not to deflate the mixture.

Line an 18 × 28 cm baking tin with baking paper. Spread the batter evenly into the tin.

Bake at 140°C for about 1 hour 10–15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely. Transfer the cooled mazurek to a serving platter, cover with icing and decorate as desired, for example with edible flowers.

Ingredients for the icing:

• 120 g icing sugar
• 3 tablespoons hot water

Mix the icing sugar and hot water together using the back of a spoon until smooth. If the icing is too runny, add more icing sugar. If it is too thick, add a little more hot water.

* After boiling and blending, the lemon will yield approximately 100 g of lemon purée.

Enjoy!

Source: Easter Cakes by Elżbieta Kiewnarska, via the Kuchnia Nasza Polska blog, adapted with my own modifications.