Sernik
Baked cheesecake made with twaróg, Polish farmer's cheese. Denser and less sweet than a New York cheesecake, often with raisins or a chocolate top.
- When
- All year; also at Christmas and Easter
- Where
- Cukiernia (pastry shop), cafés, milk bars
Food guide · ciasta i desery
Polish desserts
Polish desserts
22 traditional sweets to try
The five to start with: sernik (Polish cheesecake), szarlotka (apple cake), pączki (filled doughnuts), makowiec (poppy-seed roll) and faworki (crisp "angel wings"). Below are all 22 classics, with how to say them, when Poles eat them and where to try them, from the pastry shop to a milk bar where dessert costs less than a coffee.
22desserts with pronunciation
under 15 zła dessert in a milk bar
Fat ThursdayPoland's doughnut day
Traditional Polish desserts the everyday classics
The cakes you'll find in every cukiernia (pastry shop) and on every Sunday table. Tap the red button to hear the name.
Polish Christmas desserts for Wigilia
Kraków Christmas market →On Christmas Eve (Wigilia) Polish families sit down to a meatless supper, traditionally of twelve dishes, once the first star appears. Dessert is a table of cakes: poppy seeds for luck, honey for a sweet year. Sernik usually joins them too, with kompot z suszu, a smoky dried-fruit compote, to drink.
Polish Easter desserts on the Wielkanoc table
On Holy Saturday Poles take a basket of food to church to be blessed, and on Easter Sunday the table fills with cakes. Babka and mazurek are the stars, with sernik and makowiec close behind.
Milk bar desserts the cheapest sweet in town
Find a milk bar →In a milk bar (bar mleczny), dessert is often a sweet main course: crêpes or apple pancakes, plus a pudding or a glass of kisiel. Most cost well under 15 zł.
Cheat sheet all 22 at a glance
| Dessert | What it is | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sernik | Baked cheesecake made with farmer's cheese | All year; also at Christmas and Easter | Cukiernia (pastry shop), cafés, milk bars |
| Szarlotka | Apple cake with crumbly shortcrust | All year, especially autumn | Cafés, cukiernia, milk bars |
| Pączki | Filled yeast doughnuts with icing or powdered sugar | Tłusty Czwartek (Fat Thursday, the last Thursday before Lent), but sold all year | Bakeries and cukiernia; expect queues on Fat Thursday |
| Faworki | Crisp fried 'angel wings' with powdered sugar | Carnival season and Fat Thursday | Bakeries and cukiernia in February |
| Kremówka | Puff pastry with vanilla custard cream | All year | Cukiernia |
| Karpatka | Bumpy choux pastry with custard cream | All year | Cukiernia, home baking |
| Sękacz | Spit-baked 'tree cake' with knobbly branches | Weddings, Christmas, Easter | Specialist bakeries, Christmas markets |
| Makowiec | Poppy-seed roll | Christmas and Easter | Bakeries and cukiernia in December |
| Piernik | Honey spice cake with plum jam and chocolate | Christmas | Cukiernia, Christmas markets |
| Pierniczki | Iced gingerbread cookies | Advent and Christmas | Bakeries, Christmas markets, home baking |
| Kutia | Wheat berries with poppy seeds, honey and nuts | Christmas Eve (Wigilia) | Mostly homemade; some delis sell it in December |
| Babka | Tall glazed ring cake | Easter, but sold all year | Bakeries and cukiernia |
| Mazurek | Flat tart with caramel, nuts and dried fruit | Easter | Cukiernia before Easter; homemade |
| Kołaczki | Cream-cheese cookies folded around jam (Polish-American) | Christmas (in Polish-American homes) | Home baking; Polish bakeries abroad |
| Naleśniki z serem | Crêpes with sweet farmer's cheese | All year | Milk bars, cafés |
| Racuchy | Small yeast pancakes with apple | All year | Milk bars, home cooking |
| Budyń | Vanilla or chocolate milk pudding | All year | Milk bars, home |
| Kisiel | Thick fruit jelly made with potato starch | All year | Milk bars, home |
| Drożdżówka | Sweet yeast bun with crumble and filling | All year | Every bakery |
| Malinowa chmurka | Layered raspberry, cream and meringue cake | All year, especially summer | Cukiernia, cafés |
| Rurki z kremem | Puff-pastry tubes filled with cream | All year; summer at the seaside | Cukiernia, seaside and mountain stalls |
| Rogal świętomarciński | Poznań's St Martin's croissant with white poppy seeds | 11 November, St Martin's Day | Certified bakeries in and around Poznań; elsewhere in November |
Easy Polish desserts to make at home
Racuchy
Yeast batter with grated or sliced apple, fried in spoonfuls until puffy and golden. Dust with powdered sugar and eat warm.
Naleśniki z serem
Thin crêpes filled with farmer's cheese mixed with sugar, vanilla and an egg yolk. Ricotta works if you can't find twaróg.
Kisiel
Fruit juice thickened with potato starch, stirred over the heat until glossy. Five minutes, and it's what Polish grandmothers make for children.
Szarlotka
A shortcrust base, a thick layer of grated tart apples with cinnamon, crumbled dough on top. Forgiving and hard to get wrong.
Where to try Polish desserts in Kraków
Milk bars
Naleśniki, racuchy, budyń and kisiel, for less than a coffee on the Main Square. See all Kraków milk bars →
Cukiernia (pastry shop)
For sernik, kremówka, karpatka and pączki. Look for a counter of cakes sold by the slice or by weight, and a few tables for coffee.
Bakeries
Drożdżówki every morning, pączki all year and especially on Fat Thursday, and makowiec before Christmas.
Christmas market
Gingerbread and sękacz at the stalls on the Main Square from late November. Christmas market guide →
Before you go the practical bits
Drop your bagChecked out but flying later? Leave your luggage near the Old Town and do the crawl hands-free.Luggage storage in Kraków →
From the airportKraków Airport is about 20 km from the centre. A pre-booked driver waits for you with your name on a sign.Book an airport transfer →
Stay onlineComing from outside the EU? A Poland eSIM gets you maps and translations without roaming bills.Get a Poland eSIM →
Eat with a localWant someone to order for you? A Polish food tour or a pierogi class is a great first evening.Food tours & pierogi classes →
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FAQ
What is the most popular Polish dessert?
Sernik (Polish cheesecake made with farmer's cheese) and szarlotka (apple cake) are the cakes you'll find everywhere. Pączki, filled doughnuts, are the most popular sweet on Fat Thursday, when Poles eat them by the million.
What desserts do Poles eat at Christmas?
On Christmas Eve: makowiec (poppy-seed roll), piernik (honey spice cake), gingerbread cookies, sernik and, in eastern Poland, kutia made with wheat, poppy seeds and honey. Kompot z suszu, a dried-fruit compote, is the traditional drink.
What are Polish angel wings?
Faworki, also called chruściki: thin strips of dough twisted into a bow, fried until crisp and dusted with powdered sugar. They're eaten during carnival season, especially on Fat Thursday.
What is the difference between pączki and doughnuts?
Pączki are made from a richer yeast dough with eggs and butter, so they're heavier, and they're filled (traditionally with rose-hip jam) rather than having a hole. They're topped with icing and candied orange peel or with powdered sugar, and Poles never agree which is better.
What are traditional Polish Easter desserts?
Babka, a tall ring cake, and mazurek, a flat shortcrust tart topped with caramel, nuts and dried fruit. Sernik and makowiec are on most Easter tables too.
Where can I try Polish desserts in Kraków?
Milk bars for cheap sweet dishes like naleśniki, racuchy and budyń; a cukiernia (pastry shop) for sernik, kremówka and pączki; and bakeries for drożdżówki. In winter, the Christmas market on the Main Square sells gingerbread.
HUNGRY FOR MORE?The whole menu
TRY THEM FOR LESSFind a milk bar