Easter is just around the corner, and I’m already looking forward to my annual Easter baking session. Last week, I shared my recipe for a lemon babka cake – light, airy and fluffy like a cloud, with a strong hint of lemon. Today, I’d like to share my recipe for a shortbread with chocolate topping. Shortbread cakes – with various toppings – called “mazurek” in Polish – are traditional Easter cakes in Poland. My recipe has a small twist – a slight coconut note thanks to the use of coconut oil. This cake is loved by my whole family. It’s simple and relatively quick to make, perfect with a cup of coffee or tea. Similar to the famous millionaire’s shortbread, just without the caramel layer.

A few words about coconut oil

A few years ago – probably a decade now – there was a trend that glorified coconut oil as the best oil out there, thanks to the medium-chain fatty acids. As a young, impressionable adult, I certainly jumped on that bandwagon. If a recipe, sweet or savoury, called for oil, I used coconut oil. Unrefined, cold-pressed coconut oil, to be specific, as it’s less processed than the refined version. Cold-pressed coconut oil, unlike the refined version, retains some of the coconut flavour and scent.

My Dad hated it. He couldn’t stand the coconut flavour in every meal I made. Scrambled eggs? With a hint of coconut. Pancakes? Only fried on coconut-flavoured oil. Chicken stir-fry? You guessed it – with a touch of coconut flavour. He hated it! But there was one exception: this chocolate shortbread cake that I made for Easter. I no longer use coconut oil in every meal (it’s been long ago proven not to be a superfood as once claimed), but to this day my Dad reminds me every Easter that the chocolate Mazurek is the one and only recipe where he loves the coconut oil.

The coconut oil gives this shortbread a unique flavour. It’s not overwhelmingly coconutty, but it’s definitely richer than traditional shortbread. That’s why I recommend using cold-pressed, unrefined coconut oil in this recipe. Whilst it’s possible to replace it with the refined variety, you’ll miss out on the flavour which enhances the overall taste of this cake.

Ingredients for a Polish Easter vegan shortbread with chocolate

For a 21 cm x 26cm tray you will need:

For the shortbread:

• 150 g plain flour
• 65 g potato starch
• 125g cold-pressed, unrefined coconut oil
• 40g icing sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• a pinch of salt
• a few tablespoons of cold water

For the chocolate topping:

• 100g milk chocolate (if required, make sure to use vegan chocolate)
• 50g white chocolate (if required, make sure to use vegan chocolate)
• 2 teaspoons of coconut oil

Optional extras:

• chocolate drops, stars or other shapes (if required, make sure to use vegan chocolate)
• flaked almonds, desiccated coconut, your favourite nuts etc

How to make Polish Mazurek – vegan Easter shortbread with chocolate

Making the shortbread

Mix the flour, potato starch, icing sugar, salt, baking powder and coconut oil in a bowl. Mix them with your hands – you should end up with a crumbly texture.

Slowly add water in tiny amounts whilst continuing to knead the dough. Only add the water until all of the dough has combined into one smooth ball.

Line a 21 cm x 26 cm tray with greaseproof paper. Evenly spread the dough in the tray, making sure that the cake is flat and equally thick across the tray. You should only have enough dough for a thin layer. Using a fork, poke the cake generously all throughout its area, making little holes to the bottom of the tray. Docking shortbread helps hot air escape from underneath the cake and keep the shortbread flat and even.

Refrigerate the dough in the tin for 30 minutes. In the meantime, pre-heat the oven to 180°C (355°F).

Bake the cake for around 25 minutes, until you see it starts to get golden around the edges. Then, take it out of the oven and let it cool down a little before you decorate it.

Melting the chocolate

Put a pot with about an inch of water on the hob. Place a bowl on top of the pot – it should be bigger than the pot, and the bottom of the bowl shouldn’t touch the water in the pot.

Chop the milk chocolate, aiming for small, even pieces. Transfer the chopped chocolate to the bowl. Add a teaspoon of coconut oil.

Turn on the heat under the pot. After a while, the water in the pot will start boiling and the chocolate in the bowl will start to melt. Once most of the chocolate has melted and there are few chunks left, take the bowl off the pot. Be careful – a lot of steam will come out from the pot! Make sure none of the water gets into the chocolate, or it will seize.

Stir the melted chocolate with a silicone spatula. If there are any visible pieces of chocolate left, they should melt soon.

Repeat the process with the white chocolate and a teaspoon of coconut oil, using a clean bowl.

Once both chocolates are melted, proceed to decorate the cake.

Decorating the Mazurek

Pour the melted milk chocolate over the shortbread and spread it evenly. Next, pour the melted white chocolate on top of the milk chocolate, in a zig zag pattern. You can use a toothpick to make a swirly pattern in the chocolates.

If you want, you can add extra decorations on top of your cake: chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, desiccated coconut, sprinkles etc – whatever you like!

Nutritional value of Polish Mazurek with chocolate

The whole recipe has approximately 2965 kcal, 182 grams of fat, 301 grams of carbs and 25 grams of protein. Naturally, it’s an indulgent treat, not a salad. 🙂

If you cut the cake into 20 portions, each of them will have approximately 150 kcal, 9 grams of fat, 15 grams of carbs and 1 gram of protein.

How to store the vegan Polish Mazurek

You can store this cake in room temperature, it will last a few days… if you can resist eating it all in one sitting. Make sure to keep it covered so that it doesn’t collect dust all day long.

Alternative toppings for Mazurek Easter cake

Mazurek with chocolate topping is a safe option if you have any picky eaters in your family. But, you can get creative with the toppings if you like!

A popular version of Mazurek has the shortbread covered with a layer of toffee, made with cooked evaporated milk – similar to the middle layer of the classic millionaire’s shortbread.

If you fancy a refreshing cake for Easter, you can replace the chocolate layer with lemon curd and sprinkle the cake with crushed meringue.

The shortbread base is like an empty canvas. You can follow your imagination – and tastebuds – and create a variety of masterpieces.

Bon Appetit!

So there you have it – my trusted recipe for a Polish Easter Mazurek cake – with a hint of coconut and sweet chocolate topping. Simple to make, it hits the spot every time. We only make it once a year, for Easter, but there’s no reason why you couldn’t make it all year round!

Also see:

• Food
• Sweet