I have just mixed up the batter for these tiny fried fritter cakes that my brothers, cousins and I used to feast on as children. Although they are fried in hot oil like a doughnut, kolacice are neither circular in shape, nor do they have a hole in the middle. They also go by various names including ustipke, priganice or krofne. Popular in the Balkans for either breakfast or as a snack, they were a specialty of my late maternal grandmother, Baba Joka. We adored them. Baba made them with love and served them with a smile. She anticipated our excitement as we opened the lid of the blue-trimmed, white enamel serving dish that cradled the puffy little edible delights.

Crisp on the outside with a light, soft interior, these imperfectly round dumplings are dusted with sugar and best eaten warm. As for left overs? I can’t remember there ever being any, because it’s impossible to stop at one!

I jotted down my grandmother’s recipe for kolacice about 10 years ago, during one of my conversations with her. Although I moved to Sydney in my early 20’s, the 3,500 kilometre distance didn’t break that firm bond we had and weekly telephone calls became a welcome ritual. I remember Baba describing the amount of flour that was needed in terms of ” ordinary cups” as I endeavoured to understand what sort of a cup; a tea cup, coffee mug, larger or smaller?  When it came to measuring out the milk and water I was instructed to “…pour it in slowly until you have enough.” I converted our conversation into standard metric measurements, ran them past my grandmother to ensure she was satisfied and then gave her recipe a couple of test runs. It worked beautifully then and it is still perfect today. 

It is two years ago to the day that Baba passed away and so it is fitting that I make these kolacice to share with my own family in honour of her.

Little Fried Fitter Cakes – Kolacice – to feed a horde of hungry kids or grown ups. 

4 cups plain flour – for best results use a super fine, high protein flour like White Wings 00 variety available in supermarkets. 
4 pinches table salt
2 – 3 eggs – if the eggs are large use 2, if they are small use 3. 
1 sachet of dried yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
350 ml warm water
400 ml warm milk


1) Mix the yeast, sugar and warm water in a small bowl or jug and set aside to become frothy (about 10 minutes).

 2) In the meantime, combine the flour and salt in a deep mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and crack in the eggs. Use a mixing spoon to beat the eggs together drawing in the surrounding dry ingredients. 

3) Pour in the yeasty water and warm milk and beat together vigorously until the mixture is completely combined, smooth and resembles a sticky, thick batter similar to Greek style yoghurt. It should be able to slowly fall off the mixing spoon. 


4) Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place for 1 hour. The surface of the mixture will develop bubbles indicating it is ready to cook. 


5) Find a deep saucepan (about 4 litres or so) and pour in about 1 litre of oil in which to fry the batter. Don’t panic – the kolacice bob about on top as they cook. Heat the oil so that it is hot and then reduce the heat to medium. Drop in tablespoonfuls of batter, taking care not to overcrowd the pan because each fritter cake will expand in size. Now, keep a beady eye on them as they cook. As soon as the surface of each one is dotted with bubbles and the edges have turned golden, flip them over and continue to cook until each one is an even golden brown colour. 


6) Remove with a slotted spoon onto paper towels, and then toss into a bowl or platter with icing sugar to coat each one. Best eaten immediately.