20 Top Polish Desserts Recipes (Pączki, Sekacz and more)

Craving a sweet escape to Poland? My Polish desserts tour will help you discover some exciting new options!

Learn the sweet secrets of Eastern European delicacies like Makowiec and Sernik and discover other Polish food desserts.

Brace yourself for amazing traditional dishes and creative takes on classic cuisine!

20 Best Polish Desserts Recipes

Whether you’re travelling to Warsaw, Krakow or simply trying new recipes at home, these easy Polish desserts are for you! 

I love pączki and Ptasie Mleczko! And I’d be happy to know your favorites!

Polish sweet bread babka is mixed with the decadent chocolate-hazelnut spread Nutella for a delicious treat called Nutella Babka.

Nutella is spread on the buttery brioche dough, producing an exquisite harmony of sweet and nutty flavors.

After it’s baked to a golden crisp, Nutella Babka is best served sliced so the chocolate pattern can be seen.

The sweet and exquisite Kolaczki Cookies are a famous Polish confection that has won praise all over the world.

Traditional fillings for these cookies include fruit jams, almond jam, poppy seed paste, or other sweet preserves.

The buttery, flaky dough is rolled out and then folded into a distinctive crescent, thumbprint, diamond or even pinwheel form.

These miniature treats are ideal for sharing with friends and family or for enjoying as a sweet treat with a hot beverage.

You can find different recipes for Kolaczki cookies based on the choice of fillings and shapes. Check out these thumbprint kolachki cookies for more inspiration!

This lemon babka is a yeast-enriched, no-knead bread and a beloved Polish Easter tradition. It’s flavored with lemon zest and often vanilla creating a delicate, fluffy pastry with just the right amount of sugar and acidity.

Raisings are a common addition to the dough and I really enjoy them in many pastries.

Lemon Babka is topped with a sweet lemon glaze which I think is a wonderful finishing touch! Some recipes just include a dusting of powdered sugar.

The name “karpatka” comes from the fact that this classic Polish pastry is originally from the Carpathian mountain region.

Layers of choux pastry, usually filled with delicious custard or vanilla cream, make up this lovely treat.

Powdered sugar is typically sprinkled on top for just the right amount of sweetness.

Fall flavors and decadent chocolate come together in a one-of-a-kind way in Chocolate Pumpkin Babka.

This delectable Polish dessert is ideal for the autumn as it features the earthy sweetness of pumpkin puree.

Finished with a maple brown sugar glaze, this Chocolate Pumpkin Babka is sure to be a show-stopper!

Polish Honey Cake, or “Miodownik,” is an authentic recipe with strong roots in Polish kitchen history.

It gets its unique and reassuring flavor from an aromatic blend of liquid honey and spices, including ginger and cinnamon.

This type of cake can be layered with custard or cream or just served as a moist and crumbly bundt cake.

I like a moist cake so this recipe sounds amazing! 

Honey cake is very popular in Eastern Europe so you can find many other variations. For example, you can try a Romanian honey cake on this list of delicious cakes from Romania.

The Polish pastry ‘Pączki’, pronounced “pownch-key,” are rich donuts from Poland that are famous all over the world.

A blast of flavor is added to each bite by stuffing them with sweet ingredients like fruit jam, custard, or rosehip marmalade.

Pączki are traditionally savored on Fat Thursday, the day before Lent, as a symbol of indulgence before the fasting period.

One of the most beloved Polish dessert recipes is Placek, an enriched sweet bread.

Flour, eggs, butter, and milk are typical components of the dough for this adaptable bread. It’s often studded with raisins and topped with a buttery crumb.

Polish Placek is one of the best Polish desserts for Easter but you can enjoy it year-round. To me, it tastes exceptionally great with coffee!

If you’re looking for some Polish apple desserts, you’ll definitely love Szarlotka, the Polish version of the popular apple pie.

A fragrant apple filling, often seasoned with sugar and cinnamon, sits over a buttery, flaky crust in this popular dessert.

In this recipe, Szarlotka is topped with a cookie-like dough that’s woven into a lattice.

I love serving apple pie warm with vanilla ice cream but you can also try it with some powdered sugar and a dollop of whipped cream.

Cute little Babeczki, or Lemon Mini Babkas, are bite-sized variations of the traditional Polish babka. They’re baked in small molds to make light and airy lemon cakes.

For an extra delicious touch, top your Lemon Mini Babkas with a sprinkling of powdered sugar or a white chocolate glaze.

Sernik, often known as Polish Cheesecake, is a famous Polish recipe.

The Poles commonly use farmer’s cheese or twaróg in their cheesecake recipes, which gives it a unique flavor and texture that sets it apart from American cheesecake.

Shortcrust pastry, which is buttery and crumbly, is a popular crust choice, though it can be baked without the crust.

Polish thin crepes called nalesniki can be filled with everything from sweets to savory ingredients.

Fry the batter—flour, eggs, milk, and a bit of salt—thinly on a griddle or skillet until it’s golden brown and cooked through.

After that, choose your filling and neatly package the crepes by rolling or folding them. Powdered sugar, sweet cheese, or fruit preserves are common sweet fillings.

We have a similar type of crepes in Ukraine and I love them with a Nutella and banana filling.

Makowiec (Poppy Seed Cake)

A beloved traditional Polish treat, Makowiec (Poppy Seed Cake) is a must-have for any joyous occasion.

It’s filled with pulverized poppy seeds, honey, sugar, and occasionally chopped almonds or raisins. Its unique appearance when sliced is the result of the layers being braided or wrapped into a log.

Makowiec is a popular traditional dessert all year round, but it really comes into its own when the holidays roll around.

Ptasie Mleczko

Ptasie Mleczko, literally “Bird’s Milk,” is a very beloved Polish sweet. It has a thin coating of chocolate surrounding a soft, marshmallowy filling.

The chocolate exterior provides a striking contrast to the light and airy texture of the filling. I love how it’s light and sweet without being overpowering.

Ptasie Mleczko is often presented as small, bite-sized cubes—an ideal sweet snack or party favor.

Looking for more snacks? Check out my blog post on the most popular Polish snacks!

Kogel Mogel

The delightful name of this classic Polish dessert, Kogel Mogel, just adds to its allure.

This delectable dessert is a quick and easy recipe that calls for beaten egg yolks, sugar, and occasionally honey, vanilla, cocoa or rum. It’s similar to eggnog or zabaione.

A thick, custard-like substance is the end product; it’s delicious on its own or as a garnish for sweets.

Sekacz (Polish Tree Cake)

Sekacz is a one-of-a-kind Polish dessert known for its eye-catching appearance.

Sekacz, sometimes called “Tree Cake,” is prepared by putting the batter into thin layers onto a rotary spit and cooking each layer for a short period of time before adding the next.

The end product is a round cake that, when cut, looks like a tree ring. The cake is known for its moist, tender inside and caramelized outside.

Sekacz is a beautiful and tasty Polish dessert, ideal for festivities and special events.

There are different types of spit cakes across Europe like the Czech Trdelník or Romanian Kürtőskalács. You can find them on my list of famous Czech snacks and traditional Romanian sweets, respectively.

Mazurek

When celebrating holidays like Easter, many Poles look forward to eating mazurek, a traditional dessert.

One or two sheets of short (or half-short) pastry, or one sheet of short (or half-short) pastry topped with a sheet of butter sponge cake, can be used to make this Polish cake. A coating of marmalade holds the two sheets in place.

This traditional cake is commonly topped with almonds, dried fruits, and even fruit preserves or icing.

Faworki

The deep-fried pastries called Faworki, often called “Angel Wings” or “Chrusciki,” are a staple of Polish celebrations, especially during the Carnival time.

The recipe for these light and crunchy snacks calls for simple ingredients: flour, eggs, butter, sugar, sour cream, rum and a pinch of salt.

After rolling the dough thin, it is cut into strips that resemble ribbons. Then, it is deep-fried till it turns brown and puffs up.

Powdered sugar is a common finishing touch for Faworki, lending them a sweet note to complement their delicate lightness.

Kisiel

Kisiel, a classic Polish fruit dessert, looks like a fruit pudding or jelly. The classic recipe calls for fruit juice (usually berry juice), sugar, and a thickener (cornstarch or potato starch) cooked together.

The end product is a thickened fruit dessert that is silky smooth and bursting with fruit flavor. Because it tastes well both warm and cold, kisiel is a versatile and pleasant snack or even a drink.

You can eat it plain or pour it on top of your favorite desserts like pancakes, waffles, or ice cream.

This type of dessert is also popular in Ukraine and my grandmother has always made it as a drink. You can check out other authentic Ukrainian drinks here!

Ciepłe Lody (Warm Ice Cream)

“Warm Ice Cream,” or Ciepłe Lody, is a one-of-a-kind dish that looks like real ice cream.

This Polish treat features a mousse created with egg whites and covered with syrup, chocolate, or any other topping. 

It’s served in a waffle cup, resembling Italian ice cream, which is where its name comes from.

If you’d like to explore more Polish food, you can also check out some tasty Polish breakfast ideas!