Poppy Seed Cake – 5

• As you can see from the numbering – cake 5 – I have several recipes for a poppy seed cake – makowiec.
• This was adapted from a recipe in a magazine I bought in Gdańsk.
• It is baked in a rectangular tin and has a lemon glaze poured over it when cool.
• Or you can cut it in half to make two squares and sandwich them together with Polish plum spread – powidła or another dark fruit jam.

Ingredients

• 125g butter – softenned
• 125 granulated sugar
• 100g poppy seeds
• 125ml milk
• 2 eggs seperated
• 150g flour (cake flour is good)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Grated rind of 1 lemon
• *
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 50g Sugar
• or
• Polish plum spread – powidła or Sour Cherry or Blackcurrant jam.

Method

• Line 3 sides of a 26 x 20 baking tin with one piece of greaseproof paper.
• Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180°C.
• Cream the butter and sugar together.
• Mix in the egg yolks.
• Mix in the poppy seeds and the milk.
• Mix the flour and the baking powder together.
• Fold the flour mix into the cake mixture.
• *
• Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff.
• Fold the whites gently into the cake mixture.
• Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin.
• Smoothe the top flat.
• Bake for 50 -55 minutes.
• Near the end of baking check the top is not burning.
• Cover with paper or foil if it is.
• Leave to cool in the tin.
• *
• Mix the lemon juice with the sugar.
• When the cake is cooling, spread the lemon mixture over the top of the cake.
• *
• Dust with icing sugar to serve.

Option

• Rather than the lemon juice – wait till the cake is cool.
• Cut it into 2 squares and sandwich together with Polish plum spread or dark fruit jam
• Blackcurrant jam was used here.
• Dust with icing sugar to serve.