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    Home » Desserts

    Sweet Cabbage Filling

    Published: Jan 18, 2023 by Petra Kupská

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    Who hasn't heard of famous Czech kolache or buchty, iconic pastries filled with a variety of sweet fillings? I would like to introduce you to a less-known filling made with a fresh head of white cabbage, a fantastic vintage Czech recipe that is almost forgotten these days. That would be a pity, believe me!

    Sweet cabbage filling in a bowl.
    Table of Contents hide
    ➜ About the recipe
    ➜ Zelniky
    ➜ Ingredients
    ➜ Instructions with photos
    ➜ How to use sweet cabbage filling
    ➜ What does sweet cabbage filling taste like?
    Sweet Cabbage Filling

    ➜ About the recipe

    Czechs have always baked delicious sweet pastries, often with yeast dough. They used ingredients from their garden or field to make the fillings for these pastries, as well as processed milk from the domestic animals they kept.

    A popular ingredient that has always thrived in the Czech lands is cabbage. Most often, cabbage was prepared braised with caraway seeds as a side dish for pork roast or fermented into sauerkraut. However, the savvy Czech grannies were also skilled at using cabbage to make a deliciously sweet filling for pastries!

    I recently discovered an amazing recipe in an old cookbook that I had to try right away. The sweet filling is made with chopped cabbage, sweetened, and seasoned with spices. It's then baked in the oven until soft, getting the maximum flavor into the filling.

    ➜ Zelniky

    The Czech pastries with sweet cabbage filling are called "zelníky." The Czech name "zelníky" comes from the word "zelí" which means cabbage!

    Czech buchty filled with sweet cabbage filling.

    ➜ Ingredients

    To make sweet cabbage filling from scratch, you will need:

    • Fresh head of cabbage; white. Some people also refer to this type of cabbage as green cabbage.
    • Unsalted butter; helps to create a richer flavor and moisture
    • Granulated sugar; white one is fine; if you want even bolder taste, try brown sugar
    • Salt; for flavor
    • Heavy cream; adds more sweet taste and richness
    • Ground cinnamon; Ceylon and cassia varieties are the best for baking
    • Ground black pepper; boosts flavor in the cabbage filling!

    ✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.

    Ingredients for sweet cabbage filling inclusive captions.

    ➜ Instructions with photos

    STEP 1: Remove the wilted outer leaves from the cabbage and cut out the tough stem. Finely chop the cabbage, preferably with a large chef's knife.

    Chopping fresh white cabbage.

    TIP: If you have a food processor, let it chop the cabbage for you!

    STEP 2:  In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and mix it with the heavy cream. Transfer the chopped cabbage to the baking dish. Add the sugar, cinnamon, pepper, and salt. Pour in the melted butter and stir until everything is thoroughly combined.

    Making Czech sweet cabbage filling.
    Seasoned chopped cabbage in a baking dish, before baking.

    STEP 3: Place in an oven preheated to 350°F (177°C) and bake for about one hour. During baking, the cabbage will release water, which should almost evaporate by the end of baking. Stir from time to time to prevent the cabbage from burning. When finished, the filling should have a golden brown color.

    Baked sweet cabbage filling in a baking tray.

    ➜ How to use sweet cabbage filling

    Allow the filling to cool completely before use. The best way to do this is to spread it out on a large cookie sheet and let it sit in a cold place.

    Use the cooled filling in sweet pastries, most often in buchty buns or different types of kolache. 

    Here is an example of making buchty with sweet cabbage filling. You will find the recipe for buchty dough here. 

    Making Czech buchty with sweet cabbage filling.
    Czech buchty dusted with powdered sugar.

    ➜ What does sweet cabbage filling taste like?

    The sweet cabbage filling tastes nutty and is similar to the filling made with shredded apples. The potentially bland taste of the cabbage is lifted by the addition of spices such as ground pepper and cinnamon.

    Sweet cabbage filling in a bowl.

    More sweet fillings for pastries:

    • Poppy seed filling (makova napln)
    • Cheese filling (tvarohova nadivka)

    Tried this recipe?

    Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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    Sweet cabbage filling in a bowl.

    Sweet Cabbage Filling

    Who hasn't heard of famous Czech kolache or buchty, iconic pastries filled with a variety of sweet fillings? I would like to introduce you to a less-known filling made with a fresh head of white cabbage, a fantastic vintage Czech recipe that is almost forgotten these days.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    Servings: 1 big cup
    Calories: 1248kcal
    Author: Petra Kupská
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Sweet Pastry
    Cuisine: Czech
    Keyword: Cabbage recipes, sweet pastry

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound fresh cabbage (450 g) white or green
    • ⅔ stick unsalted butter (75 g)
    • ½ cup granulated sugar (100 g)
    • ¼ cup heavy cream (60 ml)
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper ground
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    Instructions

    • Remove the wilted outer leaves from the cabbage and cut out the tough stem. Finely chop the cabbage, preferably with a large chef's knife.
    • In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and mix it with the heavy cream. Transfer the chopped cabbage to the baking dish. Add the sugar, cinnamon, pepper, and salt. Pour in the melted butter and stir until everything is thoroughly combined.
    • Place in an oven preheated to 350°F (177°C) and bake for about one hour. During baking, the cabbage will release water, which should almost evaporate by the end of baking. Stir from time to time to prevent the cabbage from burning. When finished, the filling should have a golden brown color.

    Notes

    • The filling prepared according to the basic recipe is enough for about 10 buchty buns or 6 kolache pieces.
    • Allow the filling to cool completely before use. The best way to do this is to spread it out on a large cookie sheet and let it sit in a cold place.
       
    • How does this filling taste? The sweet cabbage filling is similar to shredded apple filling but has a pleasant nutty flavor. The potentially bland taste of the cabbage is lifted by the addition of spices such as ground pepper and cinnamon.
     

    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

    Nutritional Estimate pro portion

    Calories: 1248kcal | Carbohydrates: 130g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 83g | Saturated Fat: 53g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 229mg | Sodium: 689mg | Potassium: 870mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 116g | Vitamin A: 3213IU | Vitamin C: 166mg | Calcium: 265mg | Iron: 3mg
    Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sarah

      January 24, 2023 at 9:07 pm

      5 stars
      Very easy and delicious! I love cabbage, and it was so interesting to use it in a sweet preparation. I used it in the buchty recipe on this website, which was fantastic. You must make this recipe!

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        January 26, 2023 at 12:29 pm

        Thank you, Sarah, for your nice words! Glad to hear that you liked the recipe and enjoyed tasting this less common sweet filling.

        Reply

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    Hi there, I’m Petra, a self-taught home cook and a Czech mom of two teen boys with more than 20 years of cooking experience. I am here to share traditional recipes from the Czech Republic, a small country in the very heart of Europe.

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