Czech Cuisine - Sweets

Sweets

Fruit dumplings (ovocné knedlíky) are mostly made using plums (švestkové knedlíky) or apricots (meruňkové knedlíky) or strawberrys (jahodové knedlíky). Whole or pieces of fruit, in some regions rarely including the stones, are coated with potato or curd dough and steamed, then served with butter, sugar and sometimes milled poppy seed or tvaroh (rarely also with cream instead of melted butter). Different varieties of fruit dumplings include strawberry, cherry, apricot, bilberry, or peach. They are usually eaten as a main dish.

Kolache (Koláče) is a type of mainly round yeast pastry consisting of fillings ranging from fruits to curd or poppy seed on doughnut. It can be small, middle or pencake sized (In Moravia mostly). Fillings are mainly fruit or seed based or nutty. Filling can be seen. Buchty yeast pastry similar to Koláče, the same filling is wrapped in piece of dough and baked. Filling is not visible. Sweet dumplings with custard sauce (Buchtičky se šodo) are traditional Czech little Buchty without filling. The recipe comes from Czech roots, however, the bordering countries, mainly Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary consider Buchtičky se šodo as food that came from their country. Puding is a custard of different flavours. Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, banana, almonds, ananas, cocoa, raspberry or another flavour. These are also combined in layers. Puding is served in a glass topped with fruit or out of form upsidedown on a plate. For this purpose the form had to be washed with cold watter and not dried right before pouring puding from cooking pot. It was in form only to cool down and thus to get shape.

Vánočka (braided) and Mazanec (bun) are prepared for Christmas, along with many kinds of biscuits and Christmas sweets (vánoční cukroví). Vánočka and Mazanec are the same type of pastry as Jewish Challah.

Easter Lamb (Velikonoční beránek) is prepared for Easter. The dough is from eggs, sugar and flour. Lemons can be added. It is baked in a form, which is shaping it into resting lamb. It can be decorated. Bábovka - It is from simillar dough as the Easter Lamb. Often with cocoa dough in the middle. It is round, 10–15 cm high, made in form.

palačinky pencakes are rolled with marmalade (jam) and served often with Icecream.

vdolky and koblihy - see at List of doughnut varieties.

perník is made in two ways.

1) like gingerbread - even though It is without ginger It has big tradition. It is beautifilly decorated, It has many different shapes. Actually there is a lot of popular themes like heart shape and 3D cottages and even whole beautifully decorated villages are made especially in Czech Pardubice Region.

2) like a cake with cinnamon and honey.

roláda - sponge sake cake roulade filled with jam.

Bublanina - sponge cake made in baking sheet with fruit (2–3 cm) tall. Litá (poured) Bublanina - pencake like material (a bit more flour) is poured onto baking sheet. Fruit (1x2 cm pieces) is spread on it and sprinkled with sugar. Apple, pear or cherries etc. are used.

Makovec is sponge cake with grounded poppy. Mrkvanec is sponge cake with grated carrot.

With the exception of Koláče, vánoční cukrovíand Velikonoční beránek sweets sweets are consumed with tea or coffee in the late afternoon break, rather than immediately after a main meal. Koláče are commonly, but not always, eaten at breakfast.