Ladies’ Boob – cream cake with sponge biscuits Recipe
“Ladies’ Boob” is a playfully named Polish refrigerator cake made in a flat 25 × 35 cm dish. Its soft sponge-biscuit layers are filled with buttery custard, then covered with whipped cream, cherries and a firm fruit jelly. The name refers to the cheeky appearance of the finished portions—especially when a cherry is centred on each planned square—rather than to a domed cake shape.
Playful and sometimes risqué names are familiar in Polish home baking, particularly for party cakes whose decoration suggests the joke. This version is a rectangular tray dessert rather than a sculpted breast-shaped cake. Centring a cherry on each eventual square provides the visual reference behind the name while preserving the practical layered construction commonly served at family gatherings and celebrations.
The contrast defines this cake: tender milk-and-liqueur-soaked biscuits, dense vanilla custard enriched with butter, light whipped cream and juicy cherries held beneath a clear, colourful jelly layer. Chilling turns those separate textures into neat, cohesive slices without baking.
Why this version works
- All 1 litre of milk is accounted for: 800 ml makes the thick custard, while 200 ml is mixed with the liqueur for soaking the sponge biscuits.
- Two custard packets formulated for a combined 1 litre of milk are cooked with only 800 ml, producing a filling firm enough to hold clean layers.
- Two jelly packets formulated for a combined 1 litre of water are dissolved in 700 ml, so the topping slices cleanly instead of collapsing.
- Cream with at least 30% fat whips into a stable layer that can support the cherries and cooled jelly.
- Adding the jelly only when it is cold and slightly syrupy prevents it from melting the whipped cream or flooding the biscuit layers.
Chef's tips
Mark the intended portions lightly on the chilled cream before adding the cherries, then place one cherry in the centre of each mark. For the cleanest slices, chill the finished cake overnight and dip the knife in hot water, drying it before every cut.
How to serve
Serve directly from the refrigerator in squares or rectangles, with each portion centred around a cherry. The cake is best cold, when the custard remains firm, the jelly is springy and the softened biscuits can be cut without crumbling.
Watch out for
- Packet formulations vary by country. Use enough custard powder to thicken 1 litre according to its label and enough jelly powder to set 1 litre according to its label, even though the recipe intentionally uses less liquid.
- Do not combine warm custard with butter. Both should be close to room temperature, or the cream may melt, split or turn lumpy.
- Sponge biscuits absorb liquid almost instantly. Dip them for only a second; soaking them thoroughly will make the base mushy.
- Cherries must be well drained. Excess juice can loosen the whipped cream and interfere with the jelly setting around the fruit.
- Do not pour warm or completely liquid jelly over the cream. Wait until it is cold, viscous and just beginning to set.
- Stop whipping the cream as soon as firm ridges form. Continued beating can make it grainy and begin turning it into butter.
Substitutions
- For an alcohol-free cake, omit the liqueur and dip the biscuits in the reserved 200 ml milk alone.
- Fresh, frozen or jarred cherries can be used; thaw frozen fruit completely and drain jarred fruit thoroughly before arranging it on the cream.
- If the available custard or jelly packets are not designed for 500 ml liquid each, measure out the number of packets indicated by the labels for a combined 1 litre capacity.
Ingredients
- sponge biscuits - 300 g
- milk - 1000 ml
- custard powder - 2 packages
- sugar - 150 g
- butter - 200 g
- cream - 250 ml
- powdered sugar - 40 g
- jelly powder - 2 packages
- water - 700 ml
- cherries - 300 g
- vanillin sugar - 8 g
- liqueur - 30 ml
Preparation
- Check the packet directions before starting: the two custard-powder packets should together be intended for 1 litre of milk, and the two jelly packets should together be intended for 1 litre of water. Using only 800 ml milk for the custard and 700 ml water for the jelly gives both layers enough firmness for slicing. Reserve 200 ml of the milk for soaking the biscuits.
- Whisk the custard powder with 200 ml of the remaining 800 ml milk until completely smooth. Heat the other 600 ml with the sugar and vanillin sugar in a saucepan. When small bubbles appear around the edge, slowly whisk in the custard mixture. Cook over medium-low heat for 2–3 minutes, whisking continuously, until very thick and bubbling heavily. Transfer to a bowl and press cling film directly onto the surface. Cool fully to room temperature; it must not feel warm before it is combined with the butter.
- Beat the softened butter for 3–4 minutes on medium speed, until noticeably paler and airy. Add the room-temperature custard 1–2 tablespoons at a time, beating after every addition. Continue until the cream is smooth and holds soft ridges. If the butter or custard is colder than the other, the mixture may curdle.
- Line a 25 × 35 cm dish with baking paper or cling film. Stir the reserved 200 ml milk together with the 30 ml liqueur. Briefly dip each sponge biscuit in the mixture—no longer than one second per side—and arrange about half of them tightly across the bottom. Break biscuits as needed to fill narrow gaps.
- Spread half of the custard cream over the biscuits without pressing hard enough to displace them. Add a second layer of briefly dipped biscuits, followed by the remaining custard cream. Smooth the surface and refrigerate for 30–40 minutes, until the cream feels firm when lightly touched.
- While the base chills, dissolve the jelly powders in 700 ml very hot water, stirring for 1–2 minutes until no crystals remain. Do not boil the dissolved jelly. Let it cool, then refrigerate it until cold and slightly syrupy. It should coat a spoon but still pour freely; fully liquid jelly can seep into the cream, while jelly that has set into lumps will not form an even top.
- Use cream containing at least 30% fat and chill it thoroughly before whipping. Beat the 250 ml cream with the powdered sugar until it forms firm ridges and stays on an upturned spoon, stopping before it becomes grainy. Spread it evenly over the cold custard layer.
- Drain the cherries thoroughly and blot away excess liquid. Arrange them on the whipped cream, ideally placing one in the centre of each portion you intend to cut, then press them in lightly. Spoon the partially thickened jelly gently over the surface, beginning with a thin layer around the cherries before adding the rest. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight, until the jelly is firm and the biscuits have softened. Cut with a sharp knife wiped clean between slices.
Storage
Keep the cake in the fridge, tightly covered so the whipped cream doesn’t absorb odours; over time the sponge biscuits soften more and more.
This cake improves after a night in the refrigerator: the biscuits become tender without disappearing into the filling, and the custard, cream and jelly settle into distinct layers. Arranging the cherries according to the planned cuts also makes the joke in the name visible without pretending the tray cake has a rounded shape.
