Polish Cheese Cake (sernik Babci) Recipe

FILLING
6 Whole Eggs; (1 separated)
2 c Confectioners’ Sugar
1 1/2 ts Vanilla Extract
1 lb Farmers or Ricotta Cheese
2/3 c Butter; melted
1 1/2 c Plain Mashed Potatoes
2 ts Baking Powder
1/2 ts Nutmeg
1/2 ts Salt
1/4 c Orange or Lemon Peel; grated

Today’s recipe is the second sweet bread you will want to serve at your
Polish Easter Feast; only it’s not called “bread,” it’s called “Sernik
Babci,” otherwise known as “Polish Cheese Cake.”

To prepare the dough, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a
large mixing bowl, then cut in the butter with a fork.

In a separate mixing bowl, beat together the egg and sour cream. Stir the
mixture into the flour. Add the confectioner’s sugar and blend again. Place
the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead until well mixed and
smooth.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough into the shape of a rectangle.
Line a 9-inch by 13-inch pan with the dough, bringing the dough part-way up
both sides of the pan.

To prepare the filling, separate 1 egg and reserve the single egg white;
beat the remaining yolk and five whole eggs with an electric mixer in a
small mixing bowl, gradually adding the confectioners’ sugar as you go.
Beat for about 5 minutes at high speed. Add the vanilla and continue to
beat at a high speed until the mixture is soft.

In a separate mixing bowl, press the cheese through a sieve and blend with
the melted butter. Add the potatoes, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Stir
in the orange or lemon peel.

Thoroughly blend all the ingredients and fold them into the egg mixture,
then turn the filling into the center core of the prepared sweet bread
crust in the baking pan.

Wrap the excess dough over the top of the filling and pinch to close the
gap as you go. Brush the top with the remaining egg white, and bake in a
pre-heated 350-F degree oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until set. Let cool
before cutting. Refrigerate to store, but serve at room temperature.
Kitchen Staff Tip: In a few days Recipe-a-Day will publish a Polish Easter
Cheese Recipe that you can use in the filling for today’s recipe. Simply
omit the cheese and mashed potatoes from today’s recipe, and you can use
your own homemade cheese.