A sky-high cream puff cake

Hello, BA Bake Club! I hope you had a wonderful time baking Shilpa’s delightfully squidgy corn mochi cake. It’s now officially time to ease into the end of summer with our latest recipe: my Plum Karpatka (Polish Cream Puff Cake)!

For those unfamiliar with karpatka, a.k.a. Carpathian Mountain Cake, let us enlighten you. Traditionally, two discs of tender, airy pâte à choux house a layer of pastry cream lightened with whipped cream or crème mousseline. This version ditches the classic filling for a no-bake cheesecake (!) ribboned with homemade plum jam. It’s make-ahead-friendly and endlessly fun; just the thing to keep the summer vibes going a little longer.

Pâte à Choux Like You’ve Never Seen Before

If you baked our Banana Pudding Paris Brest, you’re already familiar with pâte à choux. This month, you’ll build upon that lesson—making the same exact dough with an entirely new end result. Split between two cake pans, it bakes into big, pillowy layers with sculptural peaks and valleys.

Those layers get sandwiched together with a simple no-bake cheesecake stabilized with just a touch of gelatin. (I like Knox brand.) It’s light, tangy, and swirled with a tangy plum jam that stains it a delightful shade of pink. The whole lot gets chilled in the fridge until set, then dusted with powdered sugar before slicing into wedges like a cake.

I really love this recipe. It’s a fresh take on one of my favorite Polish desserts and such a flex to carry out to your friends. Cue applause! Save it on Bon Appétit and, if you give it a try, let me know how it goes on the recipe page, in the Epicurious app, or in our chat here on Substack. We love to hear from you.