Pascha Wielkanocna is a classic Polish dessert for Easter. The sweet cheese spread contains chopped nuts and dried fruit. It’s delicious on a slice of crusty bread, a bagel, or crackers.
Common in Eastern European countries, this dessert can be formed into a dome reminiscent of Jesus’ tomb. It’s often decorated with symbols of Easter — crosses, or flowers.
I made several small cheeses. I took some to work and shared others with my family. Everyone raved about how delicious the Pascha Wielkanocna was and commented that they’d never had anything like it before.
Tips for making Pascha Wielkanocna
- All of the recipes I’ve seen written in Polish suggest running the farmer’s cheese through your meat grinder twice. If you don’t have a meat grinder, do as I did, and blitz it in a food processor for a few seconds.
- To be safe, I use pasteurized eggs or heat the egg yolks in a double boiler to 145 F for 15 seconds. You’ll need to whisk during this time and cool them off as soon as you meet the time and temp requirements. I used a glass bowl and worried it would break if I put it in cold water. A metal bowl would have been a better idea. I just whisked madly and immediately transferred the egg yolks to a different (cooler) bowl.
- If you want to go all out, make your own farmer’s cheese.
- I’ve made a video you can follow the process, step by step.
Pascha Wielkanocna joins my long list of Polish desserts suitable for your Easter celebration.
Smacznego!
Lois
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Pascha Wielkanocna – Polish Easter Dessert
Description
A sweet cheese with nuts, dried and candied fruit.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds farmer’s cheese (1 kg)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (100 g)
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 cup butter (200 g)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (130 g), divided
- 1/2 cup candied orange peel (60 g)
- 1/2 cup blanched almonds, toasted (80g)
- 3/4 cup dried fruit, half raisins, half dried cranberries
Instructions
- Process the farmer’s cheese in a food processor until smooth.
- Using a double boiler, heat the egg yolks to 145 F (63 C) for 15 seconds. I used a glass bowl and quickly moved the hot yolks to another (cooler) bowl to stop the cooking. I should have used a metal bowl and put the bowl in ice water to quickly cool the eggs because they are on the brink of being scrambled.
- Add the cream and vanilla to the farmer’s cheese. Mix on low speed to combine.
- Add 1/4 cup powdered sugar to the butter, and mix on medium-high speed for 5 minutes.
- Add 1/4 cup powdered sugar to the cooled egg yolks and mix at medium-high speed for 5 minutes.
- Add the cheese, butter, and egg yolks together, and mix until well combined.
- Chop the almonds until they’re the size of a raisin. Add to the cheese mixture.
- Stir in the dried fruit and candied fruit.
- Line a cheese mold or colander with cheesecloth. Fill with cheese mixture, adding a plate to the top to press the cheese.
- Place on a plate and refrigerate overnight. Decorate with dried fruit and nuts or chocolates and flowers. Serve with crusty bread, bagels, or crackers.
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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