Karpatka
Ingredients
- Choux pastry (doubled): water, milk, butter, salt, sugar, flour, eggs — enough for two 9-inch rounds
- Cream filling: milk, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch (or potato starch), vanilla, plus softened butter whipped in
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Karpatka takes its name from its jagged, uneven top, meant to evoke the peaks of the Carpathian mountain range — especially once dusted with powdered sugar like snow. Two large disks of choux pastry, baked separately, sandwich a thick layer of vanilla pastry cream lightened with whipped butter, giving it the airy crunch of choux with the richness of a cream cake.
Method
Make the choux pastry: bring water, milk, butter, salt and sugar to a boil, stir in flour off heat until smooth, then beat in the eggs until glossy.
Divide the choux between two lined round pans, spreading it roughly and unevenly (the natural cracks create the jagged 'mountain' effect) and bake at around 200°C (400°F) until puffed, deeply golden and dry, 30-35 minutes. Cool completely.
Make a pastry cream base with milk, egg yolks, sugar and starch, cook until thick, then cool completely.
Beat the cold pastry cream with softened butter until light and fluffy.
Spread the cream generously over one choux layer and top with the second, jagged-side up.
Chill for at least an hour to firm up, then dust generously with powdered sugar before slicing.
