There are always two cakes served during Polish Eastear--yeast babka and mazurek--a tart on a delicate short crust. I love both of them but since I moved out from Poland I more often make mazurek. And there are several varieties of it. Last year, I already shared a recipe for my favorite mazurek with hazelnuts and chocolate. Today it will be a mazurek with citrus fruits, about which I heard a lot from my aunt. It is the one she makes most often and they like most.
I was always very curious to try it, but only last week when I saw beautiful oranges it came to my mind to make it. I was intrigued even more because I love all fruit and citrus desserts but at the same I am not a big fan of orange preserves. They are just too strong for me. For that tart I bought oranges and lemons and both of them organic.
The base is made from a short crust with eggs, which I use most often to make my desserts, and also those fruit tartellets that you see on my blog's title picture. The crust is baked completely and the top made separately and only at the end they are put together and finished with almonds.
Although the cake has a bit of that bitterness which sometimes is overwhelming in orange preserves, the sweet crust and crunchy almonds on top make it all a very nice dessert.
Easter Orange Tart--Mazurek
The Crust
Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 sticks of butter, room temperature,
2 egg yolks,
2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra 1/3 cup (to clean hands with),
1/2 cup sugar,
2 tbsp sour cream,
1 tsp baking powder.
Preparation:
1.In a large bowl mix flour and baking powder. Add butter to the flour and working with fingers make lumpy dough.
2. In a medium cup mix two yolks, sugar, and cream. Mix well with a small whisker until the mixture becomes lighter.
3. Add the egg mixture and butter crumbles to the flour and form quickly a dough--use the rest of the flour to clean hands and knead it into the dough.
4. Wrap it in foil and chill for a minimum 30 minutes. A dough at that stage can be stored for two weeks in a refrigerator.
5. If I make a cake the same day I usually roll out the dough on the baking form and let it chill already in the form.
6. Preheat oven to 370F.
7. Before rolling up the dough should be taken from the refrigerator at least 15 minuets earlier. Dust a working surface and roll the dough to the size of a medium size cookie tin.
8. Grease the tin with a bit of butter and transfer carefully a dough on a tin using a rolling pin. Poke it a couple of times with a fork so it will not form bubbles and bake it for 25-30 minutes, until gold. Leave in the tin and let it cool down.
Topping
Ingredients:
2 large oranges,
2 medium lemons,
2 cups sugar,
1/4 cup water,
1/ 2 cup slivered roasted almonds.
Preparation:
1. Wash the fruits, place them in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Drain the fruits and cut in small cubes, removing all the seeds as you do it.
2. Place the fruits in a food processor and run it until they are puréed.
3. Transfer the fruits to a medium pot. Add sugar and water, mix and bring to boil. Cook for about 20-30 minutes, until the fruits become transparent.
4. Transfer the hot fruit pulp on the crust, spread evenly.
5. Sprinkle with almonds and let it cool. Cut into rectangular pieces before serving.
