Mark

Bakery: Tradycyjny Sękacz Mazurski "Mark" 
Address: Available at selected Polish delis in GTA
Website: http://www.mark.pl/
Style: Polish, Masurian 
Price: $$$ 

Here's a somewhat special holiday treat for the Cake Tour! ^^ I noticed these traditional "tree cakes" one or two years ago at several Polish delis; they're imported from Poland, available almost exclusively during holiday periods (Christmas and possibly Easter), and sold either as whole cakes or pieces of the "trunk". Although Mark isn't exactly a bakery, they specialize in one thing: these lovely tree cakes hailing from the Masuria region in Poland, more or less the same thing as German Baumkuchen and similar in concept to Hungarian chimney cakes, in that they're baked on spits. However, the ones I spotted beforehand were made with margarine and chemical additives; they weren't as "traditional" as I wanted them, that's for sure. Kind of like croissants made from oil, not butter. Like, why?

It was only this year that I spotted a differently wrapped cake and excitedly noticed it was a butter version (look for the label with "Sękacz maślany"; I got mine at Wisla Deli for $15.79): natural ingredients like eggs, orange peel, and butter. I immediately snatched it! Opening the bag, you get the delicious aroma of butter and orange, and even with no preservatives, the dough was dense and soft. For a cake of "plain" dough, this was surprisingly flavourful. The texture was one-of-a-kind; the taste reminded me of wafers or madeleines. One ring after another, I could not get enough of this cake. Definitely the best treat of this Christmas season, despite goodies from various local bakeries -- yum!! *-*

Rating: ****