This Polish inspired blackberry coffee cake consists of layers of crumbled pastry and fruit creating a delicious treat everyone will love.
You might also like almond redcurrant cake which is also made with a crumble topping.
Polish people love layered cakes and I remember this one particularly well as it was a family favourite when I was growing up. This cake consists of a layer of pastry, then jam, then a layer of crumbled pastry, beaten egg whites and finally another layer of crumbled pastry. Despite the layering this cake is actually quite simple to put together.
Blackberry coffee cake ingredients
I made this blackberry crumb cake almost exactly like my mum used to, with one small difference. The original recipe included a type of jam/preserve called 'powidla', which is made by cooking plums with sugar in a heavy bottomed pot very slowly for hours. The final product is a thick, sticky the mixture and the plums are nowhere to be seen. A bit like a seriously overcooked jam.
My 'modern' take on this jam involves briefly cooking blackberries along with some prunes and a little sugar into a thick, sticky jam. It's delicious, has lots of depth and takes only about 6 minutes to cook! The prunes add natural sweetness into the mixture so it only needs 2 tablespoons of sugar.
This blackberry coffee cake also uses a little cocoa (use cacao if you prefer) which is incorporated into the dough and used as one of the layers. This is why the middle bit of the cake is quite dark.
Step-by-step recipe instructions
You will need a 9 inch (23 cm) pan. Lightly grease the sides, dust with flour and set aside.
1.Start by preparing the fruit filling mixture. In a pan combine the blackberries with the prunes and 2 tablespoons of sugar and cook over a medium heat squashing the fruit with a fork until the mixture thickens. This will take about 6 minutes. Set aside to cool while you prepare the pastry.
2. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt and stir with a whisk. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, 120 g of sugar and cubed butter. Stir with a spoon to combine then knead to make a smooth pastry dough (I find it easier to knead on top of a flat surface rather than in a bowl).
3. Cut the pastry dough in half then cut one half into 2 equal parts. Place one of these small parts on top of a flat surface, add the cocoa powder and knead it in. Place the 2 small dough parts on top of a plate and freeze for 15 minutes (it will be easier to grate and turn them into crumbs later). Preheat the oven to 375 F/ 180 C/ gas mark 4.
4. Press the larger pastry dough into the bottom of the pan spreading as evenly as you can.
5. Cover with the fruit mixture (once cooled) and even out using a large spoon.
6. Using a box grater coarsely grate the cocoa pastry over the fruit (without pressing down!).
7. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form, then beat in 1 tablespoon of sugar and spread the mixture over the cocoa crumbs (without pressing down!).
8. Lastly coarsely grate the remaining small pastry dough over the whole thing and bake in the centre of the oven for 50 minutes. If the top starts to brown too much cover loosely with parchment after about 40 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely before cutting. Dust with powdered sugar before serving (optional).
Expert tips and FAQs
- Use fresh or frozen blackberries.
- Do NOT press the crumb layers down.
- Make ahead: You can prepare the cake and refrigerate for several hours before baking it.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before cutting it. Serve as is or with a dusting of powdered sugar.
- Keep leftovers covered for up to 2 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
You might also like
- Easy Fresh Blueberry Cake Recipe (Healthy)
- Polish Rogaliki (Rugelach) Crescent Cookies
- Polish Gingerbread Loaf (Piernik) Recipe
Check out also this collection of 27 everyday healthy cacao recipes.
Keep in touch!
If you make this blackberry crumble cake I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!
Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for regular recipe updates! Or you could subscribe to this blog and receive all my latest recipes right into your mailbox!
Polish Blackberry Crumb Coffee Cake (Plesniak)
Equipment
- 23 cm (9 inches) square pan
- Electric mixer
Ingredients
- 280 g blackberries fresh or frozen
- 15 prunes pitted, roughly chopped
- 320 g all purpose flour (1½ cups)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 4 medium eggs separated, room temperature
- 120 g sugar plus 2 and 1 tablespoons
- 150 g butter softened
- 2 tbsp yogurt
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 1½ tbsp cocoa/cacao powder
- Powdered sugar for dusting optional
Instructions
- You will need a 9 inch (23 cm) pan. Lightly grease the sides, dust with flour and set aside.Start by preparing the fruit filling mixture. In a pan combine the blackberries with the prunes and 2 tablespoons of sugar and cook over a medium heat squashing the fruit with a fork until the mixture thickens. This will take about 6 minutes. Set aside to cool while you prepare the pastry.
- In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt and stir with a whisk. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, 120 g of sugar and cubed butter. Stir with a spoon to combine then knead to make a smooth pastry dough (I find it easier to knead on top of a flat surface rather than in a bowl).
- Cut the pastry dough in half then cut one half into 2 equal parts. Place one of these small parts on top of a flat surface, add the cocoa powder and knead it in. Place the 2 small pastry parts on top of a plate and freeze for 15 minutes (it will be easier to grate and turn them into crumbs later). Preheat the oven to 375 F/ 180 C/ gas mark 4.
- Press the larger pastry dough into the bottom of the pan spreading as evenly as you can. Cover with the fruit mixture (once cooled) and even out using a large spoon.
- Using a box grater coarsely grate the cocoa dough over the fruit (without pressing down!).
- Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form, then beat in 1 tablespoon of sugar and spread the mixture over the cocoa crumbs (without pressing down!).
- Coarsely grate the remaining small dough over the whole thing and bake in the centre of the oven for 50 minutes. If the top starts to brown too much cover loosely with parchment after about 40 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely before cutting. Dust with powdered sugar before serving (optional).
Notes
- Use fresh or frozen blackberries.
- Do NOT press the crumb layers down.
- Make ahead: You can prepare the cake and refrigerate for several hours before baking it.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before cutting it. Serve as is or with a dusting of powdered sugar.
- Keep leftovers covered for up to 2 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
Hi, I am Monika, welcome to Everyday Healthy Recipes! This blog is all about creatively simple recipes with a healthy twist, old classics with a modern take, and an occasional Polish dish thrown into the mix - all easy to make, healthy and delicious, perfect for everyday cooking. 
Hi Monika,
I grew up with a similar plum 'jam' called Pflaumenmus. The Thuringian way bakes rather than cooks them. Whilst it still takes hours, you don't need to stir.
Now, I currently don't have access to my recipe (shipping from OZ to UK....), I try to write it down from memory:
- grease a very solid casserole dish
- fill your dish with halved very ripe plums (our dish takes about 3.5kg)
- add star anise, cloves and cinnamon stick in a musselin 'sock' and place between the fruit plus (if available) a couple of green walnuts (i.e. as it comes off the tree, including the green peel and the hard shell you would normally crack to get to the nut. Otherwise just add some shelled nuts)
- measure about 350g of sugar - traditionally white but I tend to use brown or coconut, whatever available
- sprinkle some of it on top
- into a hot oven. Start with ~200°C
- tradition: no lid and oven door slightly ajar (use wooden spoon). However, I start off for the first hour with lid and closed door to get things boiling
- every half an hour you want to add a little bit more sugar on top. Don't stir - you kinda need a crust. Though I do one (again non-traditional) compromise of slightly padding the surface down to get a little of the juice over it. (I believe our grandmothers made this in much larger pots so the crust was like a lid and also percentage wise not as much of a waste as it feels when you cook only 3.5kg)
- you will need 6 to 8 hours until it cooks down to a nice thick paste. I find I need pen and paper at the stove to keep track of time 😉
- once you like the consistency, fill it into clean jars. Lid on. Done!
Hi Antje! Thank you for taking the time to share this recipe with me! I can just imagine how delicious it must be after 8 hours of slow baking. And I really like the star anise in your jam. The green walnuts sound intriguing. I might try this method if I can get my hands on some inexpensive plums. 3.5 kg is a lot of plums:)
They look absolutely scrumptious, I've had such a sweet tooth recently, and these squares would go down a treat. I love the blackberry and prune combo, I don't bake with fruit as much as I should. Delicious!
Thank you! I was really pleased with these actually, didn't expect them to turn out as good as they did:)
This cake looks lovely! I haven't eaten prunes in a while, but I used to eat them loads, in fact one Friday in my early twenties I was so bored at work that I ate my way through a whole bag - all I can say is that the night out in town didn't end well!
Thank you! Sounds like a definite case of prune overdose:)
Yeah, I believe I'll be making these soon. I love prunes! I won't tell anyone that it's prunes though...they have a bad reputation. One time my wife and I were eating some prunes and I asked my son if he wanted one. "No way! I'm not eating prunes! That's for old people!" Ok, not sure where he got that from but a couple of days later, we're eating prunes again and my wife asked him if he wanted a dried plum. "Yeah, i love plums!" Kids.
Thanks! I agree prunes do have a bad reputation, completely undeservedly, because they taste SO good and are so good for you too:) Maybe they should always be called 'dried plums':)
Ooo these sounds delicious! I'd love a slice as a healthy treat! Thanks for linking up to #TreatPetite
Thank you Kat:)
These prunes are looking absolutely delicious.. It's more special as you got your childhood memories connected with it.. let me try some?!! Thanks for sharing this family recipe with all of us.. Happy Fiesta Friday ?
Thank you! I agree that childhood memories make any dish a little bit more special:)
These bars look perfect for this week's Fiesta Friday party. I am eating prunes as they are, but it sounds amazing to add them in your baked good, too. Thanks for sharing, Monika!
Thank you Jhuls, I love prunes in general and they make such a nice addition to all sorts of bakes:)
Must try that next time. ☺️
Thanks! Hope you like it:)
These sound fab and I love that they are reasonably healthy and love your shortcut! I'm a big fan of shortcuts too (can you tell!) Eb x
Thank you Eb! I think these days people are so busy they need shortcuts, otherwise we'd all be eating takeouts!
Love the sound of this Monika, it sounds absoluteIy delicious with the fruit, hint of chocolate and crumbly-almondy crust . I've never tried blackberries and prunes together but it certainly sounds like one to try - and actually an easy one especially as you've managed to dramatically scale back the time it takes to make your powidla.
Angela x
PS, you'd be more than welcome to share it with #BakingCrumbs if you like 🙂
Thank you Angela! I am bringing my squares over to your link party now!
Thankyou so much for linking up Monika, it's fab to have you there 🙂
These sound delicious and so good that you've found a quicker way of making that traditional jam!
You're killing me with your recent recipes! They are awesome and this is no exception. I can't make these though...really trying hard to get back off the sugar and finding it very hard with temptation like this!
I know it's hard to stay off sugar, there are so many temptations everywhere, especially when you go shopping. I find it impossible to go without sugar completely, instead I try to eat less of it... it works most of the time:)
I love the look of these and the abundance of blackberry means my children would like them too. Pinned for my next baking day.
Thank you! My own children enjoyed these squares as a snack, with a glass of milk.