Seasonal fruits and vegetables have always reigned supreme in Polish cuisine, also as an exquisite addition to desserts. Who among us doesn’t like to feast on raspberry and blueberry buns or apple pie with apples picked straight from the orchard? For many of us, these are flavors that bring back memories from childhood, the times when we reached for these gifts of nature only at certain times of the year – when they were fresh and most aromatic, i.e. most delicious. In this article, we will guide you through the seasonal ingredients of various sweets, with particular emphasis on local specialties.

Spring flavors in desserts

The first vegetables and fruits appear in our local markets in spring. These are mainly early vegetables – fresh spinach leaves, lettuce, beetroot, radishes, and rhubarb. The latter vegetable has a characteristic sour taste and is an excellent component of sweet baked goods. Delicious yeast cakes, yogurt cakes and => shortcrust pastry. As for fruit, at the end of May we can enjoy the taste of Polish strawberries! They are an excellent base for making various desserts: mousses, creams, ice creams, sorbets, cakes and => cakes. Strawberries also work great in combination with rhubarb, creating a spring composition of flavors, e.g. in the form of compote or sweet baked goods.

Summer is full of fruity ingredients

In Poland, we have the greatest access to seasonal fruit in the summer. This is the time when there is the largest selection of them on stalls and in shops. In June, cherries appear, and then in July, sour cherries, raspberries, currants, blueberries and gooseberries. At this time, you will also find berries in the forest. From all these gifts of nature, you can compose delicious sweets! In addition to traditional baked goods, such as => cheesecakes, buns, shortcrust pastry and sponge cakes, these fruits can be successfully used to make => homemade dumplings and dumplings. And if you would like to taste the most famous Polish jagodzianki, then go to Podlasie to Augustów. These delicacies are made using local ingredients and are made by local confectioner Mr. Polikarp Augustyniak. It is worth noting that "The “Augustowska jagodzianka” was even entered on the List of Traditional Products kept by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Autumn gifts of nature

When autumn comes, apples, plums and pears ripen in the orchards, and grapes in the gardens. Poland is famous for its various apple varieties. Their largest cultivation area is the Grójec-Warka basin in Mazovia. Thanks to the favorable microclimate and the efforts of multi-generational families of fruit growers, they are considered the best in all of Poland. Apples are ideal for preparing various dishes, including, of course, cakes and desserts - traditional => homemade apple pies, apple pies or pancakes, in which they play the main role. The fruit-growing region around Grójec can also boast of its local delicacy, i.e. apple-caramel meringue, made by local rural housewives' associations. 

Autumn is also the time for vegetable harvesting. Carrots, beets and zucchini are great ingredients for sweet baked goods. Brownies made with beets or zucchini and carrot cake are well known to all those with a sweet tooth.

The best ingredients for winter sweets

Winter is a good time to prepare more filling and warming desserts using ingredients such as nuts, honey and poppy seeds. You can make delicious gingerbread cookies, => poppy seed cakes, baklava and nut tarts. These are flavours that we undoubtedly associate with Christmas. In addition, white poppy seeds are used as a filling for the famous St. Martin's croissants – Poznań delicacies, prepared on the occasion of St. Martin's Day.

And although the Polish climate does not allow for the cultivation of seasonal fruits in winter, at this time of year citrus fruits ripen in southern Europe, which then end up in our stores. It is worth reaching for fresh mandarins or oranges in winter to fully enjoy their sweetness and aroma. What is more, their taste goes perfectly with chocolate, creating delicious desserts in the form of mousses, cakes and chocolate cakes.

Seasonal ingredients in Jacek Placek's baked goods

In our confectionery shop, a significant part of the assortment consists of => cakes with fruit. We use seasonal, local varieties as much as possible, because we want to provide our customers with products with the natural aroma and taste of fresh fruit. We use them to make mousses, creams, fillings, jellies and, of course, for decoration. Reach for our delicious apple pies, plum or cherry pies, => yogurt cakes with strawberries or with blackcurrant and feel the fruity depth of flavor of our baked goods!