Almond & Rum Whipped Cream (Gdańsk’s Milk)

In this recipe, roasted blanched almonds and sugar are ground together in the mortar – turning them into a rich, nutty paste.

Next, we’re adding some heavy cream and a touch of rum, and everything gets whipped into a sweet-tasting cloud (in a matter of minutes!).

For that extra crunch, roasted sliced almond flakes are sprinkled on top. It’s a wonderful dessert to finish off a celebratory dinner.

For the full list of ingredients & detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. But before you scroll, there’s important stuff to know below.

In the olden days, Gdańsk dwellers were the first to enjoy aromatic spices, exotic fruit and nuts. Colonial empires traded these goods with the Polish Commonwealth, and delivered them on merchant ships, via the sea.

As a result, those who lived by the seaport had much easier access to these valuable deliveries. As a result, wealthy Gdańsk townsfolk indulged themselves with various sweets and desserts – and that’s how this Gdańsk’s Milk came to be. 

The original recipe for this dessert comes from 1682 (you can find it in the oldest surviving Polish cookbook “Compendium ferculorum”).

Do you need any special ingredients or equipment to make this ‘Gdańsk’s Milk’ dessert?

In terms of ingredients, everything should be easily available in any major supermarket. 

Equipment-wise, you’ll need:

• mortar and pestle
• piping bag (a ziplock bag with a hole cut out in the corner works too) 
• hand-held or free-standing mixer, for whipping

How should you serve this Almond & Rum Whipped Cream?

‘Gdańsk’s Milk’ looks most impressive when served in dessert glasses. If you don’t have any, regular glasses will work well too.

Traditionally, almond flakes are used as the only garnish – but you can also add some chocolate shavings and a few fresh mint leaves.

Another good pairing would be Gdańsk-style Yeasted Waffles, I hope to post a recipe soon.

In terms of drinks, I would suggest a light, creamy liqueur or white wine (still or sparkling).

Can you make this ‘Gdańsk’s Milk’ dessert another way?

Not really. You can skip rum of course, but it does add a really nice aroma. You can swap it for a drop or two of rum extract – it’s stronger in flavour.

What diets is this Almond & Rum Whipped Cream suitable for?

This recipe is suitable for vegetarians, but be aware that it does contain dairy. 

As long as you serve it without waffles, this dessert is fully gluten-free.

How long can you keep this ‘Gdańsk’s Milk’ in the fridge?

Once you’ve served it, ideally you should eat it within 2-3 hours.

You can keep the leftovers (what leftovers? :-D) in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.

Can I freeze this dessert?

No, this recipe cannot be frozen.

Continue to Content

Yield: 4

Gdańsk’s Milk: Almond & Rum Whipped Cream Dessert

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Prep Time 35 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz (40 g) blanched almonds, whole
• 3.5 oz (100 g) sliced almond flakes
• 3 tsp sugar
• 1¼ (10 fl oz, 295-300 ml) heavy whipping cream, 36% fat or more
• 3 tbsp (25 ml) dark rum
• 1 tbsp butter
• fresh mint leaves, for garnish (optional)
• waffles, to serve (optional)

Instructions

Before you start, refrigerate the mixing bowl that you intend to use for whipping. Leave it there for 30 minutes. Alternatively, placing it in the freezer for 15 minutes should do the trick as well. Make sure that the whipping cream is refrigerated as well. The colder the cream, the easier and more successful it will whip. 

Baking almonds

1. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C), without fan-assist.
2. Line a baking tray or a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 
3. Place all of the almonds (both whole and sliced) on top of the parchment paper. 
4. Bake on the middle shelf for 5 minutes.
5. Remove the tray from the oven and transfer whole almonds into a mortar. 
6. Leave sliced almonds on the baking tray and return them into the oven. Continue baking until they turn lightly golden (in my case, it took 12 minutes). Remove to cool completely.

Making almond sugar

1. Add one teaspoon of sugar to the mortar. 
2. Twist the pestle against the ingredients in the mortar, and evenly grind them into a smooth, moist paste. Gradually add the rest of the sugar as you go. Set aside.

Whipping the cream

1. For whipping, heavy cream has to be super-cold. Using a hand-held or free-standing mixer, start whipping the cream using a medium-speed setting. 
2. Once the cream starts to thicken, gradually start adding rum and almond sugar, whipping continuously. 
3. Increase the speed and whip the cream until it’s nearly stiff - we’re aiming for a thick, velvety texture here.

Serving

1. Transfer the almond cream into a piping bag, and squeeze it out evenly into the dessert glasses.
2. Garnish with baked sliced almond flakes and fresh mint leaves.

Notes

I’ve adapted this recipe from two Gdańsk’s Milk recipes: one by Polish pastry chef Paweł Małecki (recipe in Polish) and the other from a book titled “Polska Kuchnia Regionalna” (“Regional Polish cuisine”) by M. Bisikiewicz and colleagues, published by Multico in 2012 (ISBN: 978-83-7763-104-1)

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 201Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 130mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 2g

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Recipe Information

Filed under:

Desserts, Other Desserts

Gdańsk & vicinity, Pomorze

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Alternative traditional/regional names:

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Recipe by / Adapted from:

Adapted from two Gdańsk’s Milk recipes: one by Polish pastry chef Paweł Małecki (recipe in Polish) and the other from a book titled “Polska Kuchnia Regionalna” (“Regional Polish cuisine”) by M. Bisikiewicz and colleagues, published by Multico in 2012 (ISBN: 978-83-7763-104-1)

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