Another name for this happy pastry stack is a ‘Polish Mountain Cake’ in honor of its craggy choux peaks. My kind of mountain range! 434: Cherry Karpatka

If an eclair and a danish had a fancy dessert baby, you’d get a cherry karpatka. Rich pastry cream mixed with mascarpone for stability and swirled with fresh cherry jam, sandwiched between two layers of choux pastry.

Unlike previous attempts at custard slice style bakes, this one held its shape admirably. I may have given it a round of applause alone in my kitchen because… it deserved it!

This structure took all the nerves out of choux, since I wasn’t required to dry it out to crispy perfection in order to pipe in a filling. As long as it cooked through and had some swoopy peaks on top, total success.

There’s something extra adorable about making a mini version of a cake meant to represent a giant mountain range.

Always pastry cream first! It needs to nap in the fridge before making its dramatic entrance at the end.

I haven’t learned patience over the past 9 years of this blog, but I’ve definitely learned how to hack the system, switching back and forth between different elements of a bake so passive cooling and baking times overlap with active time.

She thicc.

Tiny jam time.

Sparkly cherry gems.

A bold and silly baker wears a white sweater while making cherry jam. Happy to report no splatter stains!

Time to make (move?) mountains.

My tiny pot got to make three different things in one day. It’s very pleased with itself.

With only one egg and no structural outcome pressure weighing on me, I didn’t add it slowly to see when the dough was wet enough. Pastry rebel.

Does that count as a triangle drop?

I present to you: a pair of choux(s)!

Still chuckling, don’t mind me.

Parchment paper ring just in case.

Hidden treasure.

Possibly more filling next time? Not necessary but why not!

The moment of truth – will she hold or collapse?

Ta-da! Looking at it as a picture instead of real life, it’s a bit burger-esque.

Happy munching!

Recipe from http://www.jillianleiboff.com/2025/07/sour-cherry-karpatka.html?m=1, Wednesday, Jan 14 · 10–11 AM