Cuisine: The Polish Palate
•
Course: Desserts Baking
•
Diet: Vegetarian, Comfort Food, High-Carb

Pleśniak (Grated Jam & Meringue Shortcake)

A stunning layered bake of grated buttery shortcrust, sharp blackcurrant jam, and sweet meringue.
Prep time 45m
Temp 180°C (356°F)
Cook time 45m
Rest time 1h
Total 2h 30m
Yield 12
Per serving:
439 kcal
62g Carbs
6g Protein
19g Fat
By Adam Dworak

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Ingredients

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Kitchen Kit

  • Box Grater
  • Rectangular tart tin (20x30cm)
  • Electric whisk
  • Mixing Bowl
  • Baking paper
  • Cling Film
Person spreading merringue on a dessert with various bowls and ingredients in the background. | Cook & Keeper - Plesniak

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 20x30cm baking tin with parchment paper.
  2. Separate the eggs, dropping the yolks into a large mixing bowl and the whites into a scrupulously clean glass or metal bowl. Set the whites aside for the meringue.
  3. Chuck the plain flour, baking powder, and salt into the bowl with the egg yolks. Add 50g of the caster sugar and the cold, cubed butter.
  4. Rub the mixture together swiftly with your fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs, then bring it together into a smooth dough. Don't overwork it.
  5. Divide the dough into three equal pieces. Knead the cocoa powder thoroughly into one of the pieces until completely uniform in colour. Wrap all three dough balls in cling film and chuck them in the freezer for 40 minutes until rock hard.
  6. While the dough is freezing, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gradually shower in the remaining 150g of caster sugar, whisking continuously until the meringue is thick, glossy, and holds its shape perfectly without drooping.
  7. Grab the frozen dough from the freezer. Using a coarse box grater, grate one of the pale dough balls evenly across the bottom of your prepared tin. Press it down very lightly.
  8. Spread the blackcurrant jam in a thick, even layer straight over the grated base.
  9. Grate the dark cocoa dough directly over the jam, scattering the shards evenly.
  10. Dollop the stiff meringue over the cocoa layer and spread it out gently to the edges using a spatula or the back of a spoon.
  11. Finally, grate the remaining pale dough evenly over the top of the meringue to create a jagged crown.
  12. Bake on the middle shelf for 45 minutes, or until the top pastry is deeply golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely in the tin before lifting out and slicing.
Chef's Note & Storage
Room temperature 3 days in an airtight tin. Do not refrigerate, or the meringue will weep and turn the pastry soggy.
00:00
Layered cake with a fork taking a bite on a glass plate | Cook & Keeper - Plesniak

The Masterpiece of Polish Patisserie

Don’t let the literal translation—'mouldy cake'—put you off. Pleśniak is a triumph of textural engineering and one of the finest bakes in the Polish heritage canon. It’s a beautifully orchestrated clash of rich, buttery shortcrust pastry, bitter cocoa, tart blackcurrant jam, and a pillowy meringue, all finished with a crown of grated dough. It looks slightly chaotic in the making, but the eating experience is pure, unadulterated comfort.

CHEF'S SECRET: The freezing stage isn't optional. Getting the dough rock hard before grating ensures those distinct, rugged layers rather than a smushed, homogenous mess. Handle the dough as swiftly as possible to keep the pastry flaky.

❖

The Architecture of Flavour

The magic of Pleśniak lies in its contrast. The intense, sharp fruit—traditionally blackcurrant or a dark plum butter—cuts straight through the richness of the egg yolks and butter. When whisking your meringue, take your time adding the sugar. You want a stiff, glossy cloud that will hold its structure in the oven, creating that essential chewy barrier between the tart jam and the crisp top crumble.

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Cook’s Notes & Discussion

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Pleśniak (Grated Jam & Meringue Shortcake) - Cook & Keeper
Cuisine:The Polish Palate
Course:Desserts, Baking
Diet:Vegetarian, Comfort Food, High-Carb

Pleśniak (Grated Jam & Meringue Shortcake)

By Adam Dworak

A stunning layered bake of grated buttery shortcrust, sharp blackcurrant jam, and sweet meringue.

Prep 45m
Temp 180°C
Cook 45m
Rest 1h
Total 2h 30m
Yield 12
Person spreading merringue on a dessert with various bowls and ingredients in the background. | Cook & Keeper - Plesniak

Kitchen Kit

  • •Box Grater
  • •Rectangular tart tin (20x30cm)
  • •Electric whisk
  • •Mixing Bowl
  • •Baking paper
  • •Cling Film
Per serving:
439 kcal
62g Carbs
6g Protein
19g Fat

Ingredients

  • 450 g Plain Flour
  • 250 g Unsalted Butter
  • 200 g Caster Sugar
  • 4 pcs Eggs
  • 15 g Cocoa Powder
  • 10 g Baking Powder
  • 2 g Salt
  • 300 g Blackcurrant Jam

Method

Step-by-step instructions.

Chef's Note:
Room temperature 3 days in an airtight tin. Do not refrigerate, or the meringue will weep and turn the pastry soggy.
Layered cake with a fork taking a bite on a glass plate | Cook & Keeper - Plesniak
  1. Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 20x30cm baking tin with parchment paper.
  2. Separate the eggs, dropping the yolks into a large mixing bowl and the whites into a scrupulously clean glass or metal bowl. Set the whites aside for the meringue.
  3. Chuck the plain flour, baking powder, and salt into the bowl with the egg yolks. Add 50g of the caster sugar and the cold, cubed butter.
  4. Rub the mixture together swiftly with your fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs, then bring it together into a smooth dough. Don't overwork it.
  5. Divide the dough into three equal pieces. Knead the cocoa powder thoroughly into one of the pieces until completely uniform in colour. Wrap all three dough balls in cling film and chuck them in the freezer for 40 minutes until rock hard.
  6. While the dough is freezing, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gradually shower in the remaining 150g of caster sugar, whisking continuously until the meringue is thick, glossy, and holds its shape perfectly without drooping.
  7. Grab the frozen dough from the freezer. Using a coarse box grater, grate one of the pale dough balls evenly across the bottom of your prepared tin. Press it down very lightly.
  8. Spread the blackcurrant jam in a thick, even layer straight over the grated base.
  9. Grate the dark cocoa dough directly over the jam, scattering the shards evenly.
  10. Dollop the stiff meringue over the cocoa layer and spread it out gently to the edges using a spatula or the back of a spoon.
  11. Finally, grate the remaining pale dough evenly over the top of the meringue to create a jagged crown.
  12. Bake on the middle shelf for 45 minutes, or until the top pastry is deeply golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely in the tin before lifting out and slicing.

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The Masterpiece of Polish Patisserie

Don’t let the literal translation—'mouldy cake'—put you off. Pleśniak is a triumph of textural engineering and one of the finest bakes in the Polish heritage canon. It’s a beautifully orchestrated clash of rich, buttery shortcrust pastry, bitter cocoa, tart blackcurrant jam, and a pillowy meringue, all finished with a crown of grated dough. It looks slightly chaotic in the making, but the eating experience is pure, unadulterated comfort.

CHEF'S SECRET: The freezing stage isn't optional. Getting the dough rock hard before grating ensures those distinct, rugged layers rather than a smushed, homogenous mess. Handle the dough as swiftly as possible to keep the pastry flaky.

❖

The Architecture of Flavour

The magic of Pleśniak lies in its contrast. The intense, sharp fruit—traditionally blackcurrant or a dark plum butter—cuts straight through the richness of the egg yolks and butter. When whisking your meringue, take your time adding the sugar. You want a stiff, glossy cloud that will hold its structure in the oven, creating that essential chewy barrier between the tart jam and the crisp top crumble.