Wuzetka Cake

Wuzetka is a delicious Polish cake, it consists of two layers of soft, moist and fluffy cocoa sponge and a layer of fluffy whipped cream in between. The surface is glazed with chocolate ganache. After Wuzetka cake is portioned into squares, each portion gets an additional dollop of whipped cream. I put also sour cherries from a kompot preserve.

It’s name comes from W-Z, very old route in Warsaw, build after the Second World War. It is said that there was a first bakery which made Wuzetka. The other theory is that cake’s name is WZK and it’s a shortcut for„wypiek z kremem”, which directly translates to “baked good with cream”.

In May 2023 Wuzetka Cake has been included in a traditional dishes list conducted by a Ministry of Agriculture, as a traditional cake of Mazovian region, with Warsaw in the center.

I made Wuzetka Cake for my Dad on his 81 birthday.

Wuzetka Cake served on a plate — Wuzetka Cake

Sponge cake preparing

7 eggs
6 tablespoons cocoa
7 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup sugar

Take eggs out of the fridge few hours before baking.
Sieve cocoa and flour into a bowl.
Separate the yolks from the whites. Place the whites into the mixing bowl. Mix them on high speed till you get a stiff foam. I add a small pinch of salt to the whites at the beginning of beating, as my mom does, to get a better effect.
Gradually add sugar, one spoon at a time, mix another 3 minutes after that.
Add egg yolks, one at a time, then mix 3 minutes more.
Turn the mixer on low speed and gradually add sieved flour and cocoa. Mix gently till all combines.
Cover baking pan (25 cm x 35 cm, which is 9 in x 13 in) with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 170 C (338 F)
Transfer the dough to the baking pan, smooth the surface.
Bake for 30 minutes, then cool and cut into to two layers.

Syrup for soaking

1 cup coffee
half cup sour cherry liqueur (or cherry syrup)
1 teaspoon sugar

Prepare coffee, dissolve sugar in it, let it cool
Combine with sour cherry liqueur

For the filling and decoration

800 ml (27 fl oz) whipping cream 36% fat straight from the fridge
2 heaped tablespoons powder sugar
1 teaspoon potato flour
and: cup of cherry preserve
glaze: 200 g (7 oz) chocolate + 200 ml (7 fl oz) whipping cream
sour cherries from kompot for decoration

Transfer whipping cream into the mixer bowl, add powder sugar. Mix till get a stiff whipped cream. Add potato starch half a minute before the end of mixing.
Dissolve chocolate in a saucepan, add cream, combine. Set aside.

Wuzetka Cake assembling

Place a layer of cocoa sponge on the parchment paper with an inside cut up. Spoon generously over the sponge. You can use about a cup of syrup.
Spread cherry preserve over the surface of the cake.
Reserve about a cup of the cream for decoration. Spread the rest of it over the cake.
Top Wuzetka Cake with a second sponge layer, spoon syrup over the cake.
Glaze cake with chocolate ganache. Refrigerate for few hours before serving.
Cut Wuzetka Cake into squares, decorate each piece with whipped cream and a cherry, just like in the picture.

Here you go, not a lot of effort and you get one of the most delicious Polish foods:) I’m joking, there is quite a lot of work, but I encourage you to try.

So, to sum the ingredients for the shopping list, here is what you need:

7 eggs
6 tablespoons cocoa
7 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup + 1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup coffee
half cup sour cherry liqueur (or cherry syrup)
1 liter (34 fl oz) whipped cream
2 heaped tablespoons powder sugar
1 teaspoon potato flour
cup of cherry preserve
200 g (7 oz) chocolate
sour cherries from kompot preserve or fresh for decoration

I was using a recipe from kwestiasmaku.com, one of the greatest Polish recipe sites for me.

Smacznego!

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