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Velvet Squirrel Cake with Cinnamon Cream - photo 1
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Velvet Squirrel Cake with Cinnamon Cream

Cakes and Bakes Desserts Dishes for Special Occasions 120 min Medium 11 wyświetleń ~63.75 PLN - (0)
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Description

This is a unique version of the classic Polish cake 'Wiewiórka', which resembles the best carrot cakes. The name refers to the abundance of walnuts, a favorite treat of squirrels. This recipe is enriched with the addition of grated, sour apple, which gives the cake an extraordinary moisture and freshness, perfectly balancing the sweetness. The deep, spicy aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger makes it an ideal bake for cooler days. The whole is topped with a creamy, slightly tangy frosting made from cream cheese and mascarpone, subtly flavored with cinnamon. The cake is not only delicious but also beautifully presented, with a rustic finish and visible pieces of nuts. It pairs perfectly with a cup of black coffee or aromatic tea, making it the star of any family gathering or festive table.

Składniki (20)

Servings:
12
  • Mąka pszenna tortowa typ 450 300 g
  • Demerara brown sugar 200 g
  • Eggs 4 szt.
  • Rapeseed oil 180 g
  • Carrot 3.8 szt.
  • Apple 1.1 szt.
  • Walnuts 100 g
  • Baking powder 10 g
  • Baking soda 5 g
  • Ground ginger 1 g
  • Serek śmietankowy typu philadelphia 400 g
  • Serek mascarpone 250 g
  • Butter 100 g
  • Powdered sugar 120 g
  • Vanilla extract 5 g
  • 🌿 Przyprawy
  • Ground cinnamon 6 g
  • Ground nutmeg 1 łyżeczka
  • Salt 0.0 szczypt
  • ✨ Opcjonalne
  • Raisins 50 g
  • Walnut halves 30 g
💰 Szacowany koszt dania: ~63.75 PLN (5.31 PLN/porcję)

💡 Kliknij na składnik aby oznaczyć jako użyty

Preparation steps

Preparing the dough

1

Start by preparing the vegetables and fruits. Wash the carrots and apple thoroughly and peel them. Then grate them using a fine grater. Chop the walnuts coarsely with a knife – we want to have noticeable pieces in the dough. If you are using optional raisins, pour hot water over them now and let them sit for 10 minutes, then drain them well in a sieve.

Ingredients: Carrot, Apple, Walnuts, Raisins
Use a fine grater to ensure the grated ingredients are small and juicy, not dry. Do not squeeze the juice out of the carrot or apple – it is what gives the cake moisture. Coarsely chopped nuts will provide a better texture than ground ones.
2

In a large bowl, place room temperature eggs together with brown sugar. Using a mixer with whisk attachments, beat the mixture on high speed for about 5-7 minutes. The mixture should become very light, fluffy, and triple in volume. It will resemble a kogel-mogel. This is a key step for the fluffiness of the cake.

Ingredients: Eggs, Demerara brown sugar
It's best to use a stand mixer or a hand mixer. Eggs at room temperature will whip much better than cold ones. The properly whipped mixture should fall in a thick, wide ribbon when the beaters are lifted.
3

Reduce the mixer speed to the minimum. Slowly pour the oil into the whipped egg mixture in a thin stream while continuously mixing. Mix only until the oil combines with the ingredients into a uniform emulsion. Do not mix too long to avoid losing the fluffiness of the mixture.

Ingredients: Rapeseed oil
Slowly pouring in the oil prevents the mixture from curdling and losing its aeration. Mix briefly, just until combined. You can also pour in the oil and gently fold it in with a spatula.
4

In a separate medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt through a sieve. Then mix them thoroughly with a whisk to ensure they are evenly distributed. This will help the dough rise evenly and have a uniform flavor.

Ingredients: Mąka pszenna tortowa typ 450, Baking powder, Baking soda, Ground cinnamon, Ground nutmeg, Ground ginger, Salt
Sifting flour with additives is very important – it aerates them and removes any lumps, which results in a lighter cake structure. Thoroughly mixing the spices ensures that every piece of the cake will be equally aromatic.
5

Add the sifted dry ingredients to the egg mixture in two or three batches. After each batch, gently mix everything using a large silicone spatula, making movements from the bottom to the top. Mix only until the ingredients are combined and no dry flour is visible. Overmixing can cause the dough to become tough and dense.

Do not use the mixer at this stage! Gentle hand mixing with a spatula is key to maintaining the fluffiness we achieved while beating the eggs. This technique is called 'folding'.
6

Add grated carrot, apple, chopped nuts, and optionally drained raisins to the prepared mixture. Again, using a spatula, gently mix everything together with a few movements, just to evenly distribute the additions in the batter. The batter will be quite thick and heavy.

Ingredients: Carrot, Apple, Walnuts, Raisins
Make sure that the heavier ingredients like carrots and nuts are evenly distributed, but do not mix for too long. The batter is ready for baking.

Baking

7

Preheat the oven to 175°C (top and bottom heat, no fan). Line the bottom of a 24 cm springform pan with parchment paper, and grease the sides with butter and dust with flour. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes. After about 50 minutes, perform the toothpick test – insert a wooden toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready. If there is raw batter on it, bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Every oven bakes differently, so the key is the toothpick test. If the top of the cake browns too quickly, loosely cover it with aluminum foil for the last 15-20 minutes of baking.
8

Remove the baked cake from the oven and leave it in the pan for 15 minutes to cool slightly. Then, carefully run a knife along the edges of the pan to separate the cake, and remove the ring. Transfer the cake to a metal rack and let it cool completely (at least 2-3 hours). The cake must be absolutely cold before applying the cream; otherwise, the cream will run off.

Cooling on a rack ensures air circulation from the bottom, preventing the cake from becoming 'steamed.' Patience is key – do not try to decorate a warm cake!

Preparation of cinnamon cream

9

While the cake is cooling, prepare the cream. In the bowl of a mixer, place very soft butter and sifted powdered sugar. Beat on medium speed for about 5 minutes until a light, fluffy, and smooth buttercream forms. This step will aerate the cream and dissolve the sugar.

Ingredients: Butter, Powdered sugar
The butter must be really soft (but not melted) to cream well with the sugar. Sifting the powdered sugar is essential to avoid lumps in the cream.
10

Add the slightly chilled cream cheese, cold mascarpone cheese, vanilla extract, and cinnamon to the softened butter. Reduce the mixer speed to the minimum and mix briefly, just until the ingredients are combined into a smooth, uniform cream. Be careful not to mix too long, as the cheese-based cream may curdle.

Ingredients: Serek śmietankowy typu philadelphia, Serek mascarpone, Vanilla extract, Ground cinnamon
Ingredients (especially mascarpone) must be cold for the cream to be stable. Mix on low speed and only until combined – as soon as you see that the cream is smooth, stop immediately. If the cream seems too runny, place it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Assembly and decoration

11

Once the cake has completely cooled, place it on a board or a serving platter. Using a long, sharp knife (preferably serrated, like a bread knife), slice the cake horizontally into two equal layers. Do this carefully, guiding the knife parallel to the surface.

To make it easier to cut evenly, you can first gently score a line around the dough with a knife, and then proceed to cut into the dough, following the score.
12

On the bottom layer of the cake, spread about 1/3 of the prepared cream. Smooth it evenly using a spatula or the back of a spoon. Cover with the second layer of cake, pressing down gently. Spread the remaining cream on top and the sides of the cake. Using a spatula, spread the cream, creating rustic, slightly uneven patterns.

Don't worry if the finish isn't perfectly smooth. The rustic look is part of the charm of this cake. An angled spatula makes it much easier to spread the cream.
13

Finally, decorate the cake with halves of walnuts. You can arrange them in a fancy pattern on top or sprinkle them around the edges of the cake. Place the finished cake in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours, or preferably overnight. This will allow the layers to absorb moisture from the cream, the flavors to meld, and the whole cake to be stable and easy to slice.

Ingredients: Walnut halves
Chilling the cake is very important for its final taste and consistency. Before serving, take it out of the fridge for about 30 minutes to allow the cream to soften slightly and release its full aroma.

Fun Fact

💡

Carrot cake, of which 'Wiewiórka' is the Polish cousin, gained popularity in the United Kingdom during World War II. Due to sugar rationing, sweet carrots were used as a natural and readily available substitute in desserts.

Best for

Jesienne popołudnie przy kawie Świąteczny stół (Boże Narodzenie, Wielkanoc) Przyjęcie urodzinowe Rodzinny obiad

Tips

🍽️ Serving

The cake tastes best at room temperature. Take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving. It cuts perfectly with a sharp knife dipped briefly in hot water and dried. Serve with a cup of strong coffee, spiced tea, or a glass of milk.

🥡 Storage

Due to the cream cheese filling, the cake should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It will stay fresh for 3-4 days. With each passing day, it will become increasingly moist and flavorful.

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