It is impossible not to love Czech krupicová kaše! Easily made from cream of wheat, this porridge is especially popular among kids. Krupicová kaše is also called „pohádka mládí“, childhood fairytale, because Bohemian grannies make very often this comforting food for their grandchildren.
My grandpa used to make the best krupicová kaše porridge. His secret ingredient was a spoon of honey he added to the kaše. Kaše then tasted even more delicious.
What Is Krupicová kaše
It's sweet cream of wheat made with milk, served on a shallow dish, liberally sprinkled with cocoa powder and granulated sugar on the top. Melted butter is then poured over the porridge for a smoother taste.
Krupicová kaše is usually eaten for breakfast or dinner.
How to say krupicová kaše anglicky (in English)? The possible translation is Cream of Wheat, cream of semolina, or semolina porridge.
Pronunciation
I recorded a short audio clip on pronouncing the Czech word "krupicová kaše".
Ingredients
The main ingredient to make krupicová kaše is coarse semolina, in Czech known as krupička.
There is Cream of Wheat in the USA, the most similar product to krupička. As I read in many food-related threads on the internet, Cream of Wheat should work very well in this recipe.
You'll need:
- Cream of wheat, in Czech krupička
- Milk
- Pinch of salt
For the topping: granulated sugar, powdered cocoa, butter
Instructions
Krupicová kaše made from scratch using the cream of wheat is finished in a flash.
MY TIP: Never leave the stove alone. The porridge needs to be stirred constantly.
- Pour milk into a pot, add cream of wheat, and pinch salt. Whisk well (photo 1).
- Cook over medium heat until thick, stir continuously to avoid lumps (photo 2).
- Spread the wheat cream on a wide plate, sprinkle with granulated sugar mixed with cocoa powder.
- Pour over with melted butter.
Because the krupicová kaše isn’t sweet by itself, you need to dust the surface liberally with sugar and cocoa and pour it over with lots of melted butter.
You can also slice the cold butter into thin slices and lay them on the surface of the krupicová kaše before serving.
Topping
There are some variants of topping for krupicová kaše. Our family favorite topping consists of granulated sugar mixed with regular cocoa powder (not Granko).
Cook’s Tips
- Because of granulated sugar, the topping will be crunchy. If you prefer a smoother texture, feel free and swap granulated sugar with its powdered version.
- Instead of cocoa powder, Czechs also like to sprinkle krupicová kaše with ground cinnamon/sugar combo.
- Besides the common topping ingredients, you can also use fruit, maple syrup, or honey.
Way to Eat Krupicová kaše
One funny technique of eating krupicová kaše: in a circular motion, from around the dish till you get to the center, where is most of the cocoa-sugar mixture and butter.
The practical reason is that the kaše is cooler around the edges and too hot in the middle to start there.
Some kids like to mix the kaše up, others can't stand this method.
Krupicová kaše
Ingredients
- 2 cups (480 ml) milk
- 4 Tbsp Cream of Wheat in Czech dětská krupička
- pinch of salt
Topping
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Pour milk into a pot, add cream of wheat, and a pinch of salt. Whisk well.
- Cook over medium heat until thick, stir continuously to avoid lumps.
- Spread the cream of wheat on a wide plate, sprinkle with granulated sugar mixed with cocoa powder.
- Pour over with melted butter.
Notes
- Makes krupicová kaše for 2.
- Because the krupicová kaše isn’t sweet by itself, you need to dust the surface liberally with sugar and cocoa and pour it over with some melted butter.
- Topping: Instead of cocoa powder, Czechs also like to sprinkle krupicová kaše with ground cinnamon/sugar combo.
DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:
Conversion chart
Blazena
My dad always added one egg in krupicova kase, topping it with coarse sugar cinnamon combo. We loved this meal.
Tamara
TIL my Mom gave me dessert for breakfast in the winters before school.
Dolores
I think mother used cream of rice served the same way on a flat plate sprinkled with a lot of cinnamon and sugar.
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com
Thank you for your feedback, Dolores. There are many variations on krupicova kase - this one sure sounds lovely!
Jaroslav Dohnal
My father always reserved a little milk and mixed this with the semolina, slowly adding it when the milk becomes hot. I always thought that was to prevent lumps. I've always done it that way and have never had lumps. 🙂
Petra Kupská
Ahoj Jaroslav, thank you for your insightful comment 🙂 You're right, this is a great method to make "krupicová kaše" smooth. At my house, I make a classic Czech powder pudding this way. Exactly as you describe: whisk it in a little lukewarm milk, and then slowly add to the warm milk, stirring constantly, cook and serve! 🙂
Wilbert
I loved my grandma's apple strudel, can you please remind me how to make it correctly. Thank you!!
Petra Kupská
Hi Wilbert, I have two recipes for apple strudel here. One is a traditional one made with elastic dough, you can find the recipe here: traditional apple strudel. The second recipe is very simple because you need store-bought puff pastry to make it. Recipe here: puff pastry apple strudel
If you need to add any information, feel free to ask!
Wilbert
Loved it
Petra Kupská
Thank you for your kind comment! 🙂
Jan Kosek
As children, we called it "Heaven`s concrete" (nebeský beton), due to its consistence.
Petra Kupská
I have to smile, Jan, because you describe exactly what happened when my son made krupicova kase once. He put too much semolina in the milk so that there was a spoonful standing in it 🙂
Xenia
This is EXACTLY the way my Slovak mother made this, including serving it in a shallow bowl, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and pats of butter!! I will have to try it with cocoa powder! Thank you for the recipe, as I cant wait to make it with your recipe, in honor of my mama!
Petra Kupská
Thank you for your nice words. My dad used to make this dish in our house. If we didn't have cocoa powder, he also sprinkled the porridge with cinnamon and sugar. What a treat!