May

First Communion - Layer Cake

Communion in Poland

First Communion, which is one of the most important events in the life of a Christian, is celebrated in Poland in a very solemn way.
Taking Holy Communion, which is a transformed body of Christ, unifies a young person with God and strengthens the bonds with Christ. Therefore, it is a holiday for the whole family, who participate in this event with the child. All members of the family receive the Bread, which was transformed by Christ during the Last Supper, from a priest.
The word ‘communion’ comes from the Latin word ‘communio’, which means community and in the Catholic religion is associated with the Last Supper. First Communion is the first conscious act of consuming the Host, which symbolizes sharing the bread. Bread and wine are, in turn, the embodiments of Jesus, so First Communion is the act of accepting a child to those who receive grace of communing with God.

The Day of First Communion is proceeded by long-term preparations, which last the whole year. A child needs to learn a specified amount of religious knowledge. Children learn it both during Religion classes at school and in the parish, where they go with their parents.
According to the law and tradition of Church, children must be aware of what they are to experience. That is why every parish has a programme which outlines how a child should be prepared for the participation in this sacrament. It is also a role of parents to prepare for this day – not in terms of clothes, guests or gifts. It is a child’s mind which should be ready for the first communion.
A few weeks before the first Holy Communion there are meetings in church during which hymns, prayers and particular parts of the ceremony are rehearsed.
After the day of First Communion children take part in so called White Week. This is a time when a child participates in the mass every day, dressed in their First Communion outfit.
The day of the First Communion is celebrated usually with the presence of extended families, which gather for the mass and then take part in a special reception. Some families hold the receptions in their houses or flats, while others choose to invite guests to a restaurant. The central part of the meal is usually the dessert in the form of a splendidly decorated layer cake.

First Communion Layer Cake

Ingredients:

Ingredients for one sponge cake:
• 6 eggs
• 120 g dry poppy-seeds; ground
• 5 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of plain flour
• 2 tablespoons of dry bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder

Ingredients for the cream:
• 500 g butter
• 250 g margarine
• 6 eggs
• 2 glasses of sugar
• some spilit or vodka
• juice from one lemon

Punch:
• 2/3 glass of strong black tea
• 2-3 glasses of spirit or vodka

Decoration:
• Marzipan
• almond flakes
• 1 bottle of food colouring (red, blue or green)
• 1 teaspoon of cocoa
• Christmas wafer

 

Preparation
The sponge cake: Break the eggs to separate the whites from the yolks. Beat the egg whites with the sugar, until stiff. Add one yolk at a time, stirring gently. Mix the poppy seeds with flour, bread crumbs, baking powder and add to the mixture gradually, stirring carefully. Repeat the process to bake two more sponge cakes.

Place baking paper onto a rectangular baking tray. Pour the mixture, bake for 20 minutes at 175 ° C. Insert a wooden stick to check if the sponge cake is ready.

The cream: Beat the eggs with the sugar over the steam until the mixture is thick. Cool it. Rub the margarine and the butter until it becomes light. Add the egg mixture to the butter and margarine, gently rubbing. Add the spirit at the end. Put aside a part of the cream for coating the sides and top of the cake. Add the lemon juice to the remaining cream.

Sprinkle the sponge cake generously with the punch. Spread the cream on top of the first sponge cake, place the second one, spread the cream over it, and put the third cake on top. Add some cocoa to the cream for coating the sides and mix it well. Coat the sides, Sprinkle them with the almond flakes. Add some red food colouring to the remaining cream. Spread it on top.

Decorate the layer cake with a lila, grapes, a candle and a mass cup. Make the wafers out of the Christmas wafer.