Servings
Font
Back
0.0 from 0 votes

Papanași

Papanași, a Romanian and Moldavian dessert, consists of two urdă cheese donuts, topped with smântână (cream) and jam.

Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
mins
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
Servings: 6 pieces
Calories: 132 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Romanian

Ingredients

  • 10 oz. cow's urdă (Romanian cheese, or ricotta or cottage cheese)
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons caster sugar
  • 1½ cup all-purpose flour , sifted
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 lemon zest
  • vegetable oil , for frying
  • 7 oz. cherry or blueberry jam , with pieces of fruit
  • 7 oz. smântână (smetana / sour cream)
  • caster sugar
Equipment
  • Slotted spoon
  • Colander
  • sieve

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a large bowl, mash the cheese with a fork.
  2. Add the caster sugar, vanilla extract and lemon zest.
  3. In another bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder.
  4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the cheese mixture. Depending on the cheese used, it may be necessary to add more flour or use less.
  5. Homogenize the mixture very quickly by hand, without kneading it too long. The dough should be soft and just a little sticky, but firm enough to form a ball.
  6. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 1 minute.
  7. Divide the dough into 6 dough pieces of about 4 oz. (110 g) and into 6 other dough pieces of about 1⅓ oz (40 g).
  8. Form a ball with each dough piece
  9. Using the thumb and forefinger, poke a hole in each large ball.
  10. Heat a large quantity of frying oil in a deep frying pan and bring it to a temperature of around 350 F (175°C), a temperature that must be maintained throughout the frying process.
  11. Fry the dough balls, only 2 pieces at a time, until golden on each side.
  12. Transfer the donuts to a colander using a slotted spoon and after a minute, transfer them to a dish lined with paper towel to remove excess oil.
Assembly
  1. Arrange the large donuts on a serving platter, cover them with a dollop of smântână (sour cream), then decorate with fruit jam and place a small donut ball on top (obtaining the visual similar to a French religieuse pastry).
  2. Decorate the top of the small ball with a small amount of jam.
  3. Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar using a small sieve.