Poppy Seed Cake – Makowiec

Ingredients – Cake dough

500g plain flour

250 mls milk

1 egg plus one additional egg yolk

60g melted butter (cooled)

130g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

pinch of salt

25g fresh yeast or 1 sachet of dry yeast

Ingredients – Poppy seed filling

300g poppy seeds

1 cinnamon stick (optional)

1 star anise (optional)

3/4 cup caster sugar

1 tbs of honey

1 tsp almond essence

2 egg whites

hand full of raisins

hand full of chopped up apricots

2 grated apples, green & small

Lemon Icing or Cukier Lukier

1 cup icing sugar

juice of one lemon

crushed nuts such as walnuts or almonds to sprinkle on top

Step 1: Prepping the poppy seeds

Soak the poppy seeds in water for 24 hours.
I also added a cinnamon stick and one star anise flower for added flavour. Just my own twist.
The following day I strained the poppy seeds from the water and gently boiled them in milk along with the spices for 30 min.
Drain completely.
Mince the poppy seeds at least 3 times, this gets rid of the gritty like texture, set aside.

TIP: A key to success is having everything ready and laid out. Once your yeast / dough is ready there will be little time to prep other ingredients.

Step 2 – Prepping the fresh yeast

Pop the 250 mls of milk into a microwave on high for about 40 seconds, you want the milk to be warmed through, but not hot. Set the milk aside.
Warm a ceramic cup in the microwave for about 20 seconds on medium, just until the cup is warm to the touch.
To the warm cup add the fresh yeast and mix it with a little of the castor sugar, about 1 tsp. The mixture will be difficult to work with at first but once the sugar mixes with the yeast you will see a change in consistency, it should become slightly softer.
At this point add 1 tbs of plain flour and approx 1 tbs of the warmed up milk.
Keep on stirring until the mixture resembles a paste, not runny, more like a thick glue.

Cover the ceramic cup up with a tea towel and let it stand in a warm, non-drafty place for about 10 min, checking it every couple of minutes.
Whilst the yeast is working its magic it is time to prep all the other ingredients.

Step 3 –  The yeast dough

Beat the egg + additional egg yolk with the sugar until you have a smooth and silky consistency.
Sift the flour on top of the egg mixture.
Make a small well in the middle of the flour mixture, add a pinch of salt and 1 tsp of vanilla essence.
Add the yeast mixture, followed by the remaining milk. Add the cooled melted butter last.
Combine the mixture together with a wooden spoon, when the spoon is useless its time for the FUN part! Time to get your hands dirty.
The dough is ready when it resembles a bread like consistency, nice and smooth.
At this stage transfer the dough to a slightly greased metal bowl, wrap it up in a towel and stand in a warm non drafty place for about an hour or until it doubles in size.

TIP: Mum uses tiny heat bags that she warms up in the microwave to shelter the bowl and keep it warm.

Step 4 – Mixing the poppy seed filling

Whilst the dough is still rising add the 3/4 cups of sugar to the poppy seed mixture along with the raisins and egg whites.
I beat my egg whites slightly. I found that by doing this it actually took some of the moisture out of the mixture, otherwise when you transfer the filling to the dough it makes the dough go soggy.
Add almond essence and honey.
Grated apples and chopped up apricots.

Step 5 – Putting it all together

I cut the dough in half, and rolled each half into a oval shape.
This is a rustic looking cake so you don’t need perfect looking ends.
On a lightly floured table top roll out the dough to about 0.5cm, maybe slightly thicker.
Spread the mixture on the dough but ensure to leave a 2cm edge from each side.
Roll the cake like a sponge roll towards you.
Place the roll on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake in the over on 180 degrees for about 40 min.

TIP: The roll might split on the side or the top but that’s OK.
Here is my 2nd attempt and still turned out fantastic!

Step 6 – Yummy icing!

Let the cake cool down slightly, but not fully, you need it to be warm so that the delicious icing can sink in!
Making the lemon icing / cukier lukier is a trial and error procedure. I would start by adding a cup of icing sugar followed by 1 tbs of lemon juice, mix this until you have a thick glue like consistency.
If it is too thin it will run down the cake, so add more icing sugar and vice versa.
With the icing mixture on the spoon, make a zigzag pattern over the cake.
Sprinkle the cake either with almonds or crushed walnuts and serve with coffee!

Note: The shots you are looking at are of my very first attempt! I made it the following week and got approval from very harsh but loving critics, mum and dad!
Enjoy!

Poppy Seed Cake – Makowiec

 

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A traditional Polish yeast cake, although eaten all year round is also popular during Easter and Christmas.

Author: FinSki's

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: Polish

Serves: 10

Ingredients

Cake dough

• 500g plain flour
• 250 mls milk
• 1 egg plus one additional egg yolk
• 60g melted butter (cooled)
• 130g castor sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• pinch of salt
• 25g fresh yeast or 1 sachet of dry yeast

Poppy seed filling

• 300g poppy seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
• 1 star anise (optional)
• ¾ cup castor sugar
• 1 tbs of honey
• 1 tsp almond essence
• 2 egg whites
• hand full of raisins
• hand full of chopped up apricots
• 2 grated apples, green & small

Lemon Icing or Cukier Lukier

• 1 cup icing sugar
• juice of one lemon
• crushed nuts such as walnuts or almonds to sprinkle on top

Method

Prepping the poppy seeds

1. Soak the poppy seeds in water for 24 hours, add optional cinnamon stick and star anise.
2. Strain the poppy seeds from the water and boil gently in milk along with the spices for 30 min.
3. Drain completely.
4. Mince the poppy seeds at least 3 times, set aside.

Prepping the fresh yeast

1. Warm the 250 mls of milk in a microwave oven on high for about 40 seconds, set the milk aside.
2. Warm a ceramic cup in the microwave for about 20 seconds on medium, just until the cup is warm to the touch.
3. To the warm cup add the fresh yeast and mix it with a little of the castor sugar, about 1 tsp.
4. Add 1 tbs of plain flour and approx 1 tbs of the warmed up milk. Keep on stirring until the mixture resembles a paste, not runny, more like a thick glue.
5. Cover the ceramic cup up with a tea towel and let it stand in a warm, non-drafty place for about 10 min, checking it every couple of minutes.

The yeast dough

1. Beat the egg + additional egg yolk with the sugar until you have a smooth and silky consistency.
2. Sift the flour on top of the egg mixture.
3. Make a small well in the middle of the flour mixture, add a pinch of salt and 1 tsp of vanilla essence.
4. Add the yeast mixture, followed by the remaining milk. Add the cooled melted butter last.
5. Combine the mixture together with a wooden spoon, when it is all combined use your hands to combine the dough. The dough is ready when it resembles a bread like consistency, nice and smooth.
6. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased metal bowl, wrap it up in a towel and stand in a warm non drafty place for about an hour or until it doubles in size.

Mixing the poppy seed filling

1. Whilst the dough is still rising add the ¾ cups of sugar to the poppy seed mixture along with the raisins and egg whites.
2. Add almond essence and honey.
3. Grated apples and chopped up apricots.

Putting it all together

1. Cut the dough in half, and roll each half into a oval shape.This is a rustic looking cake so you don't need perfect looking ends.
2. On a lightly floured table top roll out the dough to about 0.5cm, maybe slightly thicker.
3. Spread the mixture on the dough but ensure to leave a 2cm edge from each side.
4. Roll the cake like a sponge roll towards you.
5. Place the roll on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake in the over on 180 degrees for about 40 min.

Cake icing - Cukier Lukier

1. Start by mixing a cup of icing sugar with 1 tbs of lemon juice, mix this until you have a thick glue like consistency. If it is too thin it will run down the cake, so add more icing sugar and vice versa.
2. With the icing mixture on the spoon, make a zigzag pattern over the cake.
3. Sprinkle the cake either with almonds or crushed walnuts and serve with coffee!

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