Polish Drożdżówka (Yeast Cake with Custard)

Step 1

Combine 3 cups flour, 2.25 teaspoons instant yeast, and 0.5 teaspoon salt in a large mixing bowl.

Step 2

Pour 0.75 cup warmed milk (about the temperature of a warm bath — you should be able to hold your finger in it comfortably) into the flour mixture.

Step 3

Add 4 tablespoons softened butter, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 1 egg to the bowl.

Step 4

Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until shaggy clumps form, then knead by hand in the bowl for 8–10 minutes until the dough becomes smooth, elastic, and springs back when you poke it with your finger.

Step 5

Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let it rest in a warm place (like near a sunny window or inside a turned-off oven with the light on) for 45–60 minutes until the dough has roughly doubled in size.

Step 6

Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with butter or oil; the indicator light should turn off or beep when the oven is fully heated, about 10 minutes.

Step 7

Press the risen dough evenly into the prepared baking pan with your fingertips, working from the center outward until it covers the entire bottom in a single layer about 0.5 inches thick.

Step 8

Sprinkle 0.33 cup custard powder evenly over the entire surface of the dough, then gently press it in with your palm so it adheres to the soft dough.

Step 9

In a small bowl, mix 0.5 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons softened butter together with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs or wet sand, with small pea-sized clumps of butter visible.

Step 10

Scatter the streusel mixture in an even layer across the entire surface of the custard-topped dough.

Step 11

Slide the baking pan into the oven and bake for 25–30 minutes until the streusel topping is golden brown and the edges of the cake have pulled slightly away from the sides of the pan.

Step 12

Remove the pan from the oven using oven mitts and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes at room temperature.

Step 13

Cut the cake into 8 equal portions directly in the pan and serve warm or at room temperature.