Polish Moss Cake: Cream & Spinach Cake (Lesny Mech)
Bright green in color, the Polish lesny mech cake really resembles a forest floor. Topped with raspberries, pomegranates, and blueberries, the cream and spinach moss cake is the perfect summer treat!
What is the Polish Moss Cake (Lesny Mech)?
If you were to tell me a few months ago that spinach is a great addition when baking a cake I would have laughed. Yet I decided to give Polish Moss Cake a try and it was delicious.
Lesny Mech is made from green sponge cake with a layer of mascarpone cream, topped with another layer of crumbled green sponge cake, and finished with wild berries, preferably picked in the forest!
The green color of the Polish Moss Cake comes from spinach. Spinach is relatively flavorless and you cannot taste it in the cake.
At the same time, it doubles perfectly as a natural food coloring and it gives the Polish Moss Cake a beautiful and intense green color. It’s a great and sneaky way to include healthy greens in your diet too!
Pointers For Making Lesny Mech – Polish Moss Cake
- The moss piece can be broken into pieces or crumbled to create the moss-like effect.
- You can add a dash of vanilla extract or vanilla flavoring to the cream layer.
- This is the perfect way to add hidden spinach to your kids’ diet.
- To make the cake vegetarian, replace the eggs with flax eggs.
- If making for a party, you can make muffin-sized Polish moss cake and decorate the pieces individually.
- For a twist, add a tsp of lemon juice to the batter and a tsp of lemon extract to the mascarpone cream.
- You might also like this Polish sernik cheesecake.
FAQs about Moss Cake Polish Cream & Spinach Cake
What if I cannot find mascarpone?
If you cannot find mascarpone, use cream cheese or creme fraiche.
Can I use whipping cream instead of heavy cream?
Yes, you can replace the heavy cream with whipping cream. But since whipping cream is usually already sweet, you need to reduce the quantity of sugar by half or skip it completely.
I can’t find fresh spinach. Can I use frozen instead?
Yes, you can use frozen spinach. Thaw it and cook it the same way you would cook fresh spinach.
Does lesny mech taste like spinach?
No, you can’t taste the spinach in the lesny mech cake. Surprisingly, it tastes just like a regular cake that’s been colored green. A great way to add hidden veggies to the diet!
What if I do not have a blender?
If you don’t have a blender, you can use a good whisk to beat the ingredients together. It’ll take a few minutes longer, but works well too.
What if I don’t want to use fruits?
If you don’t want to add fruits, you can use brown M&Ms to look like rocks on the Polish moss cake.
Moss Cake Polish Cream & Spinach Cake (Lesny Mech)
Bright green in color, the Polish lesny mech cake truly resembles a forest floor. Topped with raspberries, pomegranates and blueberries, the cream and spinach moss cake is the perfect summer treat!
Ingredients
For the Sponge
- 12 oz of fresh spinach
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups of flour
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1/3 cup of oil
- 2 tbsp of baking powder
- Fruits to decorate (pomegranate, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)
For the Cream:
- 9 oz of Mascarpone in room temperature
- 7 oz Heavy Cream
- 4 tbsp of icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 345 F. Grease the 8'' round cake pan with oil or butter.
- Cook the washed spinach in a pan on medium heat. Place in a blender along with eggs, flour, sugar, and baking powder blending till you get a silky texture liquid.
- Put the mix into a greased pan and bake for 40 minutes, then set aside to cool down.
- While the cake is cooling, beat the cream until stiff, then mix with mascarpone and sugar until smooth. If your mascarpone is very cold, you can use a mixer on a lower setting.
- Cut the cooled cake into two pieces: one thicker and one thinner. The thinner piece you'll want to break into pieces, giving it a "moss" effect.
- Put cream on top of the thicker cake piece, then place the "moss" parts on top of it.
- Decorate the top of the spinach cake with pomegranate, raspberries, and blueberries.
Notes
You can replace heavy cream with whipping cream, but then you need to reduce the amount of sugar by half or skip sugar completely if it's already sweet.
You can make as many layers as you like. Some people prefer two thinner layers of cream.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
13Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 361Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 88mgSodium: 352mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 1gSugar: 20gProtein: 6g
