Recipe for: Crispy pastry with cherries and almond meringue - photo 1
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Recipe for: Crispy pastry with cherries and almond meringue

Cakes and Bakes Desserts 90 min Medium 0 views ~65.79 PLN * - (0)
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Description

Rustic Mazurian shortcrust pastry with juicy fresh cherries and a crunchy almond meringue on top. Inspired by summer fruits from Mazurian orchards: the intense flavor of cherries is balanced by the sweet-sour note of lemon and a delicate, slightly nutty almond meringue. The pastry is buttery and crumbly, the filling moist thanks to the natural juice of the cherries thickened with starch, and the meringue forms a golden, crispy crown. Serve slightly chilled, on its own as a dessert or with a dollop of sour cream, kefir, or Polish twaróg with vanilla. It looks impressive at picnics, family gatherings, and for afternoon coffee in the summer.

Ingredients Used

Ingredients (12)

Servings:
8
  • Wheat flour 300 g
  • Butter 150 g
  • Sugar 250 g
  • Chicken egg 1 pcs (~60 g)
  • Egg white 120 g
  • Almond 100 g
  • Cherry 600 g
  • Potato flour 20 g
  • Lemon 0.3 pcs (~20 g)
  • 🌿 Spices
  • Salt 1 g
  • ✨ Optional
  • Almond flakes 30 g
  • Powdered sugar 20 g
💰 Estimated dish cost: ~65.79 PLN (8.22 PLN/serving)
* Prices missing for some ingredients

💡 Click an ingredient to mark it as used

Preparation steps

Shortcrust pastry

1

Prepare the ingredients: take the butter out of the fridge 5-10 minutes before cutting, it should be cold but easy to cut. Sift the flour into a large bowl and add salt and 60 g of sugar (from the total amount). Cut the butter into cubes about 1 cm. Add the butter cubes to the flour and rub them between your fingers or use a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (with larger pieces of butter - visible lumps of butter are fine).

Ingredients: Wheat flour, Butter, Sugar, Salt
Use a large metal bowl and a pastry cutter or two knives; if you are using a mixer, use the dough hook briefly to avoid overheating the butter. Do not knead for too long — the goal is to have chunks of butter that will create a flaky pastry.
2

Add the beaten egg (60 g) and 20-30 ml of very cold water (you can use ice cubes in the water and strain) to the flour and butter mixture. Quickly combine the ingredients with a fork, then briefly knead with your hands or a spatula until you have a uniform mass — the dough should hold together but not be sticky. Form a flat disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes.

Ingredients: Wheat flour, Butter
Use a wooden spoon or your hands to quickly knead. If you don't have a mixer, work quickly; the kneading should not take longer than 2 minutes. The dough is ready when it doesn't crumble and can be easily shaped into a disc.

Filling

3

Prepare the cherries: rinse, dry, and pit them (use a pitter or cut them in half and remove the pit with your finger). Place the cherry halves in a medium bowl, add 40 g of sugar (from the total), grated lemon zest (about 1 teaspoon of zest), and juice from 1/2 lemon (if needed). Mix and let sit for 10 minutes to release their juice.

Ingredients: Cherry, Sugar, Lemon
Use a stainless steel or ceramic bowl. A small knife and a teaspoon for removing the pits will come in handy. The cherries should be firm — if they are very soft, reduce the maceration time.
4

After 10 minutes of resting, mix the potato starch (20 g) with 1–2 tablespoons of cold water until there are no lumps, then pour it into the bowl with the cherries and mix thoroughly — this will thicken the juice during baking. Taste it: the filling should be slightly sweet and sour.

Ingredients: Potato flour, Cherry
Use a small bowl to disperse the potato starch to avoid lumps. The consistency should be thick but not dry — too much starch will make the juice too thick.

Shaping the base

5

Remove the chilled dough and roll it out between two sheets of baking paper to a thickness of 3–4 mm, into a circle with a diameter of about 26–28 cm. Gently transfer it along with the paper to a 24 cm tart pan and remove the paper, adjust the edges, and trim the excess. Press the edges with your fingers, prick the bottom in several places with a fork, cover with paper, and weigh it down (e.g., with ceramic baking balls or dry beans). Chill for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

Ingredients: Wheat flour, Butter
It's best to use a 24 cm diameter springform pan with a removable bottom. If you don't have a tart pan, bake in a flat dish of similar diameter. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface, and parchment paper will make transferring easier.

Baking the crust

6

Preheat the oven to 190°C (top and bottom). Line the bottom with parchment paper and add weights (beans, balls). Bake for 15 minutes until the edges are lightly browned. Remove the weights and paper, bake for another 5–7 minutes until the bottom is pale golden and dry. Remove and cool for 5 minutes.

Ingredients: Wheat flour, Butter
Use the up-down function; if you have a convection oven, reduce the temperature by 10–15°C. The bottom is ready when the surface stops being raw to the touch and easily comes away from the sides of the pan.

Almond meringue

7

Prepare the meringue: place the egg whites (120 g) in a dry, grease-free bowl. Add a pinch of salt (1 g). Whip the egg whites on low speed until foamy, then increase the speed and whip until soft peaks form. Gradually add 150 g of sugar, one tablespoon at a time, whipping for about 8–10 minutes until the meringue is glossy and forms stiff, shiny peaks. Check if the sugar has dissolved between your fingers (take a bit of the mixture and rub it), if you feel any granules, continue whipping. Finally, gently fold in 100 g of ground almonds with a spatula, making a few folding motions.

Ingredients: egg white, Salt, Sugar, almond
Use a mixer with a whisk (metal or silicone). The bowl must be absolutely dry and free of grease — even a little bit of grease prevents the egg whites from whipping. The test of dissolving sugar between your fingers is crucial; if the foam is grainy, the meringue will not be smooth.

Assembly and Baking

8

Preheat the oven to 180°C (top-bottom). Evenly spread the prepared cherries along with their juice on the pre-baked crust. Spread the meringue over the fruit — use a large spoon or spatula and gently distribute it, creating soft peaks on the surface. If you are using almond flakes (optional), sprinkle them on top. Place in the oven and bake for 12–18 minutes, until the meringue is golden on the peaks and pleasantly crunchy, and the bottom of the cake is not raw.

Ingredients: Cherry, Potato flour, Sugar, egg white, almond, Almond flakes
The best is the middle rack in the oven. Watch the meringue from the 10th minute — the almond meringue browns quickly. If the top browns too much, reduce the temperature by 10°C and bake longer.

Cooling and Serving

9

Remove the cake and set it on a rack to cool completely (at least 1–2 hours) — the meringue hardens as it cools. To cut even pieces, dip a knife in hot water, wipe it, and slice. Before serving, optionally dust with powdered sugar (20 g) and serve slightly chilled.

Ingredients: Powdered sugar, Almond flakes
Use a metal cooling rack to prevent the bottom from steaming. Cutting with a hot knife makes it easier to keep things tidy and prevents the meringue from crumbling.

Final notes

10

If you prepare the cake in advance, store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours (without dusting with powdered sugar). Serve with sour cream or vanilla ice cream for a contrast of flavors. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before eating for the meringue to have the perfect texture.

For storage, use a container with a low lid to avoid dusting the meringue. Do not freeze the cake with meringue — the meringue loses its crispness after thawing.

Fun Fact

💡

In the Masurian region, forest and orchard fruits used to be the base for summer desserts; cherries were often combined with nuts and honey — here we replace honey with almond, creating a slightly oriental touch.

Best for

letni piknik rodzinne spotkanie podwieczorek przy kawie

Tips

🍽️ Serving

Serve slightly chilled, which will make the meringue crispy on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside. For a flavor contrast, add a tablespoon of 18% sour cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. When cutting, dip the knife in hot water for clean slices.

🥡 Storage

Store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours in a container with a loose cover. The meringue loses its crispness with longer storage; freezing is not recommended. Reheating in the oven will not restore the meringue's crispness.

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