Frosted mazurek

Frosted mazurek is a traditional Polish Easter mazurek made with classic shortcrust pastry and topped with a generous layer of frosting and almonds, baked together to create a delicate, meringue-like topping. The recipe dates back to 1879 and comes from a collection by Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowa, a 19th-century Polish cookbook author. Frosted Mazurek is delicate, crisp and, of course, very sweet (I deliberately made half the original recipe). It is simple to prepare, although I think this mazurek would be even better with a layer of fruit between the shortcrust base and the almond meringue – perhaps raspberries? Definitely worth experimenting with!

The recipe below uses half the quantities from the original.

Ingredients for the frosting:

• 200 g blanched almonds, sliced into strips
• 60 g egg whites (approximately 1½ large egg whites)
• 200 g icing sugar
• freshly squeezed juice of ¼ lemon

It is best to prepare the frosting while the shortcrust pastry is baking.

Place the egg whites, icing sugar and lemon juice in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat for a long time until thick and glossy, with a consistency similar to a thick meringue. Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, this took me about 15 minutes. Fold the sliced almonds into the frosting.

Ingredients for the shortcrust pastry:

• 200 g plain flour
• 100 g cold butter, cut into cubes
• 50 g icing sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• a pinch of salt

Sift the flour into a bowl. Add the butter and cut it into the flour with a sharp knife. Add the egg yolk, icing sugar and salt. Quickly bring the ingredients together to form a dough (you can also use a food processor and process until the dough comes together into a ball). Shape the dough into a ball, flatten slightly and wrap in cling film. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

Line a 20 x 30 cm baking tin with baking paper. Remove the pastry from the fridge, roll it out and transfer it to the tin. Chill again for 60 minutes. Prick the pastry all over with a fork just before baking.

Bake at 180°C for about 20 minutes, or until golden. Remove the shortcrust pastry from the oven and spread the almond frosting over the hot pastry. Smooth the surface.

Bake the frosted mazurek at 100°C for 30 minutes, then increase the oven temperature to 150°C and bake for a further 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Recipe source – Jedyne praktyczne przepisy wszelkich zapasów śpiżarnianych oraz pieczenia ciast by Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowa, with baking time guidance from przyślijprzepis.