Šakotis ("tree cake" ) is a Polish, Lithuanian and Belarusian traditional spit cake. It is a cake made of butter, egg whites and yolks, flour, sugar, and cream, cooked on a rotating spit in an oven or over an open fire.

History

The cake became popular in the 19th century in the former territory of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569–1791). Its origins are related to the baumkuchen in German cuisine. The first recipe in the Polish - Lithuanian - Belarusian region was published in Vilnius by Jan Szyttler in 1830 (the culinary book "Kucharz dobrze usposobiony..."). Its name means "tree cake" due to its distinctive shape (it is often conical, like a pine tree, and with the drips as branches) and "tree rings" inside. It is baked in a time- and labor-intensive process, by painting layers of batter onto a rotating spit in a special open oven or over an open fire. It can be decorated with chocolate and flower ornaments, but it is often served plain. Šakotis is one of the most important desserts in Lithuanian celebrations, especially at weddings or other special occasions such as Easter or Christmas. It was the sweet chosen to represent Lithuania in the Café Europe initiative of the Austrian presidency of the European Union, on Europe Day 2006. In May 2015, in Druskininkai, Lithuania, the record of the biggest šakotis was broken with 372 cm height and 85.8 kg weight. In 2006, Masurian sękacz was included in the list of traditional products of the Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship in Poland. In 2019, the bankukha recipe from Porazava was included in the official list of the historical and cultural heritage of Belarus. In north-western Belarus, bankukha is known as a wedding cake made of 60 egg yolks.

Other regional varieties

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