Coconut and milk powder mazurek

A delicious Polish Easter mazurek made with milk powder and coconut on a chocolate shortcrust pastry base. It keeps very well at room temperature and stays fresh for a long time. It is easy to make and I have decorated it with coconut and Raffaello pralines, but the milk powder filling can be decorated in many different ways, for example with chocolate strips or almonds. You could also make this mazurek in the shape of an egg :).

Ingredients for the chocolate shortcrust pastry:

• 160 g plain flour
• 25 g cocoa powder
• 50 g icing sugar
• 100 g cold butter, cubed
• 1 egg yolk, from a large egg
• 1–2 tbsp soured cream
• a pinch of salt

Sift the flour and cocoa powder into a bowl, add the butter and quickly rub in or cut with a knife. Add the egg yolk, soured cream, icing sugar and salt. Quickly bring together to form a dough (you can also make the dough in a food processor, mixing until it forms a ball). Shape into a ball, flatten slightly, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

Line a 20 × 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 approximately 20 minutes, or until fully baked. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.

Ingredients for the milk powder filling:

• 100 ml milk
• 20 g sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla sugar
• 100 g butter
• 150 g milk powder

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Place the milk and both sugars in a small saucepan. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely.

Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Slowly pour in the cooled milk mixture, beating continuously. Once incorporated, add the milk powder in three batches, beating after each addition until you have a smooth, thick filling. Spread the milk powder filling over the cooled mazurek and smooth the surface.

To decorate:

• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• Raffaello pralines

Immediately after spreading the milk powder filling over the mazurek, sprinkle generously with desiccated coconut and decorate with Raffaello pralines.

Coconut and milk powder mazurek keeps well at room temperature.

Enjoy!