Yeast cake chronicles: Embracing butter in traditional recipes
Fluffy, soft, delicate, and moist — the recipe for the traditional yeast cake is backed by centuries of tradition. Numerous trials and errors made by our grandmothers have helped perfect the recipe. I like to draw from the experience of older generations.
The yeast cake tastes excellent with winter coffee and warming infusions of honey, ginger, and lemon. In the traditional recipe, the cake is topped with streusel, but you can also bake it with seasonal fruits. It tastes great layered with homemade preserves.
Traditional recipes with margarine – is it worth switching to butter?
In original recipes for yeast cake — the kind you might find in your grandmother's recipe book — margarine is listed among the ingredients. This is an ingredient that has been surrounded by a bad reputation over the years. Is there really something to fear?
Nowadays, most margarines, both those for spreading and in blocks, are produced by esterification. This process results in significantly fewer dangerous trans fats compared to products that were common in Poland over a dozen years ago.
It is still worth being cautious and checking labels. I replace margarine with butter in traditional recipes primarily due to the flavour.
Recipe for yeast cake with streusel
To prepare a yeast cake in a pan measuring 25 cm x 40 cm, you need:
- 900 g all-purpose flour,
- 100 g fresh yeast,
- 500 mL milk,
- 3 eggs,
- 300 g sugar,
- 125 g butter,
- 50 g vegetable oil.
Ingredients for streusel:
- 100 g sugar,
- 100 g flour,
- 50 g cold butter.
Preparation
- Warm the milk with sugar — it should be warm but not boiling. Pour about 125 mL into a separate bowl. Mix with yeast and 2 tablespoons of flour. Set aside to rise.
- Heat the remaining milk with butter and oil. While still hot, pour into a bowl, add half of the flour, and mix with a wooden spoon.
- Next, add the eggs, the risen yeast mixture, and the remaining portion of flour. Stir continuously with a spoon until obtaining a consistent texture.
- Cover with a cloth and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour.
- Just before the hour is up, prepare the streusel. Crumble the cold butter with your fingers with the sugar and flour. Place the ready streusel in the refrigerator or freezer for a moment.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Transfer the risen yeast dough onto a floured surface. Knead briefly to form the dough.
- Put the dough onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with the streusel and place in the oven for 45 minutes.
