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Cytrynowa Babka (Lemon Babka)

March 24, 2018 by Lois Britton 13 Comments

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Cytrynowa Babka (Lemon Babka) is a wonderful accompaniment to tea or a bright lemony treat to serve for Easter. I’ve been wanting to make one ever since our friend, Symon, said Cytrynowa Babka was his favorite.

Cytrynowa Babka (Lemon Babka)

Many babkas  are a yeast bread sort of cake. This one reminds me of a pound cake. The leavening comes from beaten eggs and baking powder, and it’s made with equal weights of butter, sugar, and flour.

Cytrynowa Babka (Lemon Babka)

I’ve tried a traditionally Polish method for preparing the bundt pan — buttering the pan and then coating with bread crumbs (unseasoned, of course). It adds a wee bit of texture to the crust, but I’ve never had a bundt cake release so well, the finish is perfect.

The links below are Amazon affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase they send me a few cents which helps to support this site, thanks!

 

This wonderful moist cake comes from Ciasto.net, a Polish website for homebaked goods.

Smacznego!

Lois

Zesty lemon taste in light cake with a crispy buttery crust! #polishhousewife #lemon #babka #cake #teacake #polishrecipe #polishcake #polishdessert

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Cytrynowa Babka (Lemon Babka)

Cytrynowa Babka (Lemon Babka)

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  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Cook Time: 50 min
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 10 - 12 serving
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A lemony cake for tea or Easter dinner


Ingredients

  • 4 eggs, seperated and at room temp
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar (250 g)
  • 1 cup plus 1 tablepoon butter (240 g), room temp
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 cups flour (260 g)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • butter and breadcrumbs (or flour) for preparing pan
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar (100 g)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice, approximately, enough to make a thick, but still runny glaze


Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F
  2. Beat egg yolks with sugar and butter until fluffy, mix in lemon zest
  3. Beat egg whites and dash of salt until stiff peaks form, fold into butter mixture
  4. Fold in flour and baking powder
  5. Prepare an 8 cup bundt pan by brushing with butter and dusting with breadcrumbs
  6. Spoon the stiff batter into pan, bake for 50 minutes
  7. Cool 10-15 minutes, then flip pan onto serving plate to remove cake
  8. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice, beat until smooth, and smooth over cooled cake

Notes

The butter and breadcrumbs worked better than anything else I’ve tried for gettig a bundt pan to release the cake unscathed.

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Lois Britton

An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com,  she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.

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Filed Under: Cakes, Dessert, Easter, Holidays, Polish, Polish Desserts, Tea Party

Previous Post: « Mazurek Królewski (Royal Mazurek)
Next Post: Polish Desserts for Easter »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Claudia Lacoskie

    March 24, 2018 at 3:20 pm

    Will be making for Easter! Was looking for something just like this!

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      March 24, 2018 at 3:24 pm

      Enjoy, Claudia! I’m finding it rather addictive!

      Reply
  2. Susan McQuade

    March 24, 2018 at 7:43 pm

    Looks like a wonderful recipe which I am saving for future use. Just bought a babka at a local Polish deli. Very good. Might be along the lines of the recipe above. I remember my Mom buying rum babkas at the bakeries here in the Chicago area. They seemed to be a bit lighter in texture. Guess there are many versions of babka!

    Reply
  3. Helen Pettipher

    March 29, 2018 at 12:59 pm

    I’m going to make this for Easter Sunday, but I’m going to substitute the butter for coconut oil as my boyfriend can’t eat dairy. I’m sure it will be enjoyed!

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      March 29, 2018 at 2:04 pm

      Sounds like a great plan, Helen; enjoy!

      Reply
  4. David

    March 31, 2018 at 6:42 am

    I have never been a fan of the yeast babkas that I have come across. However, this lemonade version has me salivating! Looks like a perfect teatime treat or evening dessert.

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      March 31, 2018 at 8:03 am

      Thanks, David! We’re planting a Meyer lemon, so I see more of these in our future!

      Reply
  5. Gina Andrews

    October 12, 2018 at 6:22 am

    Can you let me have the quantities in grams please

    Thank you

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      October 13, 2018 at 2:55 pm

      Hi Gina, updated with grams! Enjoy! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Louise

    April 13, 2020 at 1:57 pm

    How do I prepare the bread crumbs please?

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      April 14, 2020 at 4:38 pm

      I just greased the pan and sprinkled it with dry unseasoned breadcrumbs to coat. Use them like you normally would flour to prepare a cake pan. They’re a little more substantial and do a great job.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Polish Desserts for Easter - Polish Housewife says:
    February 21, 2019 at 6:36 pm

    […] Cytrynowa Babka (Lemon Babka) — a wonderfully moist lemon bundt cake with lemon glaze […]

    Reply
  2. 17 Polish Dessert Ideas With Recipes (Quick & Delicious) says:
    September 24, 2021 at 9:42 pm

    […] https://polishhousewife.com/cytrynowa-babka-lemon-babka/ […]

    Reply

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