Potatoes in baking: the secret to a softer, longer-lasting cake
Most of us are familiar with classic yeast cakes – they're fluffy and fragrant with butter and vanilla, usually featuring fruits and a streusel topping. But did you know you can make them even softer, moister, and keep them fresh longer? All it takes is one unexpected ingredient that many homemakers know from their grandmother's kitchen. Adding potatoes to yeast cake might seem surprising, but they work wonders – and today I'll show you how to use them to create a wonderful homemade fruit cake with a streusel topping.
A yeast cake as good as the best bakery offering – soft, fluffy, and fresh for a long time? It turns out the key to this effect is a very simple ingredient you probably already have in your kitchen. It’s not about magical additives or modern techniques, but something familiar from everyday dinners – potatoes. Though it may sound unusual, adding potatoes to yeast cake is a time-tested trick our grandmothers employed. Thanks to them, the cake not only rises beautifully but also retains moisture and softness for several days. Combined with fruits and a crispy streusel – it results in true yeast cake poetry.
Recipe for yeast cake with potatoes and fruits
Ingredients for the cake:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour,
- 200 grams potatoes (cooked and mashed),
- 7 tablespoons butter,
- 2 egg yolks,
- 1 egg,
- ⅓ cup warm milk,
- 28 grams fresh yeast,
- 5 tablespoons sugar,
- a pinch of salt,
- frozen fruits (e.g., blueberries, raspberries)
Streusel topping:
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour,
- 7 tablespoons cold butter,
- ½ cup sugar.
Preparation:
- Crumble the yeast and dissolve it in warm milk with 1 tablespoon of sugar and a bit of flour – set aside for 10 minutes to activate.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and a pinch of salt, then add the mashed potatoes, egg yolks, egg, and the risen starter.
- Knead the dough, finally adding melted and cooled butter.
- Knead the dough for several minutes until smooth and elastic. Set aside to rise for about 1–1.5 hours until it doubles in size.
- Place the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and gently stretch with your fingers. Sprinkle with frozen fruits (do not thaw beforehand).
- Prepare the streusel topping: knead all the ingredients with your fingers into crumbs and sprinkle over the dough.
- Place in a preheated oven at 180°C and bake for 35–40 minutes until the cake is golden and the streusel is crispy.
Potatoes in yeast cake – not just a trick, but a tradition
Although it might seem like a culinary curiosity today, adding potatoes to yeast cake has a long tradition in Eastern European cuisine. It was especially popular in rural areas, where nothing could go to waste, and boiled potatoes from dinner were often used as a baking ingredient. Potatoes contributed lightness to the cake, allowed for less expensive flour usage, and kept the bake fresh longer, without refrigeration or wrapping in a cloth.
This is one of those simple, homemade methods that combine thrift, taste, and clever cooking, proving that traditional cuisine doesn’t have to be heavy or boring. On the contrary – sometimes just one ingredient is enough to breathe new life into a classic cake.
