True to the traditional Polish recipe, named after Karpaty (Carpathian Mountains), a 1500km long mountain range in Southern Poland. Unlike the traditional French Mille-Feuille, it is made with choux pastry, which once cooled gives the slice its trademark Carpathian shapes of ridges and valleys.
The filling is light and airy, not gloopy like some of the store-bought slices can be. The secret to this lies in the addition of whipped cream to the filling, which also helps to keep the sweetness in check. Having said that, the dessert is completed with a light dusting of icing sugar that ensures the sugar-free choux pastry top tastes just a little sweeter.
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Karpatka: Polish Vanilla Custard Slice
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
I used thick pouring custard instead of the traditional mixture of powdered custard, which helps keep sugar levels in check. You can bake the pastry form-free or if you happen to have a 30cm x 20cm cake tin, use that.
Ingredients
For the choux pastry:
- • 1/2 cup (125 g) unsalted butter, extra for greasing
- • 1 cup (240 ml) plain flour
- • 1 cup (240 ml) water
- • 5 eggs
For the vanilla custard cream:
- • 750 ml (3 cups) thick pouring vanilla custard
- • 2 eggs
- • 2 tbsp (30 ml) vanilla extract
- • 4 tbsp (60 ml) plain flour
- • 2 tbsp (30 ml) cornflour
- • 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) thickened cream
To serve:
- • icing (powdered or confectioners') sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 220C (200C fan forced, 425F, gas mark 7).
To make the choux pastry:
- In a medium saucepan bring water and butter to a boil. Add flour and mix vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes away from the sides and forms a ball. This should only take a few seconds. Transfer dough to a mixing bowl, add eggs one at a time and beat with an electric mixer until glossy and smooth.
- Grease a large sheet of non-stick baking paper with extra butter. Spread pastry into a rough rectangle until the dough is only a couple of centimeters thick. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. When ready, remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray.
In the meantime, make the vanilla custard cream:
- Place cream into a mixing bowl and whip with an electric mixer until it’s fairly stiff – be careful not to overwork as it will turn into butter. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan, combine custard, eggs, flours and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Place over low heat and cook, whisking, until the custard thoickens.
- Cool to room tempereature, whisking from time to time to prevent the skin from forming.
- Add whipped cream to the mixture and whisk through.
To layer vanilla custard slice:
- Using a sharp bread knife, cut the pastry in half, the two sides will be your top and bottom.
- Spread custard cream over one layer, leaving a 1 inch edge around and top with another pressing down gently.
- Trim edges if you want to get perfect squares. Otherwise skip this step if you prefer a more rustic look.
To serve:
- Using a sharp bread knife, cut the slice into 8 even squares.
- Dust with a little icing sugar and serve.
Notes
- Tip: store the slice in the fridge and consume within 2 days.
- Bring to room temperature before serving.
- You may need to re-dust with some icing sugar.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Eastern European
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 square
- Calories: 480
Find it online: https://honestcooking.com/karpatka-polish-vanilla-custard-slice/
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Frequently Asked Questions
What gives Karpatka its distinctive lumpy, ridged surface?
The ridged top comes from the choux pastry itself. Unlike a smooth puff or shortcrust pastry, choux puffs up unevenly in the oven, creating the bumpy ridges and valleys that mimic the Carpathian Mountains the dessert is named after.
Why does this recipe fold whipped cream into the custard filling?
The whipped cream is the secret to the filling’s light, airy texture — it prevents the custard from turning gloopy, which the recipe notes is a common flaw in store-bought versions. It also helps keep the sweetness in check alongside the icing sugar dusting on top.
How do I keep the custard cream from forming a skin while it cools?
Whisk the custard from time to time as it cools to room temperature — this is called out explicitly in step 3 of the custard instructions. Once it’s fully cool, fold in the whipped cream before assembling.
How should I store Karpatka and how long does it keep?
Store it in the fridge and consume within 2 days, as the notes advise. Bring slices to room temperature before serving, and you may need to re-dust with icing sugar since it can absorb into the pastry in the fridge.
Hello ;) I was wondering haow do I make the thick pouring vanilla custard .. can I buy it ?
Thank you
It looks delicious!! I am making it today, however, I can’t figure one thing out; what is “thick pouring vanilla custard”? Is it just (previously made) vanilla custard that is thick and can be poured?
It looks incredible- as ALL Polish food does- and I can’t wait to make, hide, and devour this dessert!
Sounds wonderful! But what is thick vanilla pouring custard?
Thanks!
Marsha
what is “thickened cream” in the custard ingredient list?
I tried this recipe and I used 750ml custard and 300ml cream. It turned out to be really thin. Then I noticed that 2 and a quarter cups isn’t 300ml. Its 560ml.
Makes more sense since its meant to be custard flavoured cream.
This recipe look delicious! I can’t wait to try it, but what exactly is “pouring custard” and where would I find it? Thank you!
this is very similar to Croatian “krempite”, which is basically the same cake, only it uses store bought puff pastry ad the base and on top.
I really like this cake, thanks for the recipe!
Oh my! It looks scrumptious! I think we have something very similar to Hungary, called Krémes (http://ronsview.org/2011/10/31/kremes/).