Category: Poppy Seed

Cake with Poppy Seed Filling

  • Today is the 11th year anniversary of my blog.
  • I started on 4 July 2015.
  • This will be my 725 post.
  • I used to have several recipes per post but have realised that is too much and I now try to have 1 recipe per post.
  • I thought I would use a very Polish ingredient in this post – that is poppy seed.
  • This is really a large version of my small buns with poppy seed filling.
  • I had some poppy seed to use up and wanted to make a simple cake.
  • I used a large cake liner in a 20cm diameter loose bottomed tin.
  • I used a 3 egg version of my sponge cake.
  • I had around 50g of poppy seeds – you can use a bit more.

INGREDIENTS

  • Cake
  • 3 eggs – weighed in their shells
  • Equal weighs of the eggs for – Sugar, Butter and Plain Flour
  • 1 teaspon baking powder for each 100g flour
  • *
  • Filling
  • 50g or more of poppy seed
  • Milk to cover these in a pan
  • 2-3 tablepoons of runny honey
  • 1 tablespoon of semolina – optional

METHOD – filling

  • Simmer the poppy seeds in the mix for around 20 minutes.
  • Using a fine sieve, sieve the poppy seeds to remove the milk.
  • Get the poppy seeds as dry as possible.
  • Put them back in the pan and heat gently to remove any move liquid.
  • Add the honey and stir this in well.
  • Stir in the semolina if using.
  • Leave to cool completly.

METHOD – cake

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM5 – 190o C.
  • Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.
  • Cream in the eggs.
  • Fold in the flour and baking powder mixture.

METHOD – to assemble the cake

  • Put the cake liner into the tin.
  • Add just over half the cake mixture and spread to the edges.
  • Put all of the poppy seed mixture on top and stir a little into the cake mixture.
  • Put the rest of the cake mixture on to and spread to the edges.
  • Bake for around 50 minutes – maybe more – until the top is golden and a tester comes out clear.

Serve on a Royal Doulton Sonnet tea plate.

Roasted Poppy Seed Buns

This recipe appeared in one of my very early posts when I wrote up several recipes per post.

I now write up 1 or maybe 2 per post as this is easier for me and for readers of the posts.

These are small cakes or buns – you can call them babeczki.

The dry roasted poppy seeds have a lightly nutty flavour.

The buns are made in small bun cases – I am not sure if these are found in Poland – but you use bun trays with the bun cases in each if you have them.

To make 12 small buns I used 2 eggs

  • 2 eggs – weigh them in their shells
  • Equal weight of caster sugar, butter and plain flour.
  • Baking powder to match the flour at 1 teaspoon per 100g

For this amount you need 40 -50g of poppy seeds.

In a small dry frying pan – without any oil or butter – fry the seeds for 5 minutes – stirring them with a wooden spoon or spatula – taking care not to burn them.

Tip the seeds into a bowl containing cold milk.

Once cool, pour the mixture into a fine sieve.

Leave the sieve over an empty bowl, press down on the seeds several times to remove the milk.

METHOD

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM5 – 1900 C.
  • Cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
  • Mix the bakng powder with the flour.
  • Add the eggs 1 by 1 with a little flour.
  • Fold in the roasted poppy seeds.
  • Fold in the rest of the flour.
  • Bake for around 20 minutes.
  • Dust with icing sugar before serving.
Weighing eggs

Babeczka – Little Poppy Seed Buns – 3

  • Babka is the name of a cake in Polish, which is of a certain shape.
  • The name means grandma and the shape is round and dumpy and usually has a hollow centre.
  • A small bun or fairy cake can be called a babeczka (babeczki in the plural).
  • I have also seen the word mufinka now in Poland.
  • *
  • One of my very early posts looked at several versions with poppy seeds.
  • I now know it is easier to just do 1 or maybe 2 recipes per post.
  • So I am posting some of these again. 
  • This one is for a sponge recipe with a poppy seed filling.
  • I use a cut down version of my usual filling.
  • These were made in bun cases – I do not know if they have these in Poland.
  • But they make these easy to make and are very portable.
  • *
  • You need to make the poppy seed filling beforehand and leave it to cool.

INGREDIENTS for the poppy seed filling

  • 100g poppy seeds
  • 300ml milk
  • 2 tablespoons of runny honey
  • 1 tablespoon of semolina
  • 1 egg yolk

METHOD for the filling

  • Put the poppy seeds and milk into a saucepan and simmer then together for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop any sticking or burning.
  • The aim is to cook the seeds and adsorb as much of the milk as possible.
  • You need to watch this carefully and keep adjusting the heat to stop the mixture burning.
  • Keep stirring and heating until the milk is absorbed.
  • The poppy seeds then need to be crushed, I use a hand held blender for about 5 minutes which I find is the easiest way.
  • Once crushed, add the semolina and honey.
  • Heat again to remove any excess liquid.
  • Leave to cool completely before using.

INGREDIENTS for the sponge

  • 2 eggs – weigh them in their shells
  • Equal weight of caster, sugar, butter and plain flour.
  • Baking powder to match the flour at 1 teaspoon per 100g

METHOD for the sponge

  • Cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
  • Mix the baking powder with the flour.
  • Add the eggs 1 by 1 with a little flour.
  • Fold in the rest of the flour.

Putting the buns together

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM5 – 190° C
  • Put the bun cases into a bun tray.
  • 12 small buns or 9 large ones
  •  
  • The next bit is fiddly and it is easier to do them all at once.
  • You have to do this by eye –
  • 1 tablespoon of sponge at the bottom –
  • Around ½ -1 tablespoon of filling next –
  • Cover with the rest of the sponge mixture.
  • Bake for around 15 – 20 minutes until golden.
  • Dust with icing sugar before serving.

They have proved very popular and I often make them for wigilia now.

Option – Lemon icing on the top.

Poppy Seed & Lemon Buns

  • These little buns are based on one of my poppy seed cakes.
  • This amount makes 12 buns made in bun cases.

INGREDIENTS – buns

  • 100g butter
  • 100g granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 120g plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 3 tablespoons of poppy seeds
  • Fine zest of 1 lemon
  • Juice of 1 lemon

    Topping

  • 1 large lemon – rind pared & juice
  • 50g granulated sugar & 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar

METHOD

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM 4 – 180°C.
  • Cream together the butter, sugar and lemon zest.
  • Add the eggs, one by one and whisk again.
  • Mix the flour with the baking powder.
  • Fold in the flour.
  • Mix in the lemon juice.
  • Fold in the poppy seeds.
  • Divide the mixture between 12 bun cases in a bun tray.
  • Bake for 25 -30 minutes.
  • Leave on a cake rack to cool.
  • *
  • MEANWHILE
  • Take the rind parings and boil them in a little water for 2 minutes.
  • Sieve and dry.
  • Add these to 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and mix.
  • *
  • Mix the lemon juice with the 50g of granulated sugar.
  • *
  • Divide the topping over the buns.
  • Sprinkle parings over the buns.

Heathcote, made in England, cake plate.

Duchess Bramble Rose Tea Rose

Little Poppy Seed Cakes -2

  • I posted my little poppy seed cakes post in December 2019.
  • I have been using spelt flour – orkiszowa – a bit recently and decided to try these out using this flour.
  • They were delicious – the spelt flour giving them a slightly nutty taste.

Ingredients

  • 180ml of milk (full fat or semi)
  • Around 100ml of runny honey (extra may be needed)
  • 120g of poppy seeds 
  • 50g of raisins
  • Strong Earl Grey tea
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon

Method

  • Make some strong Earl Grey tea.
  • Put the raisins in a small bowl and cover them with the hot tea and leave till they go cold.
  • Into a small saucepan put the poppy seeds and the milk.
  • Bring to the boil then lower the heat.
  • Simmer gently for around 20 minutes, stirring constantly.
  • Take care not to let the mixture burn.
  • Add the honey and continue heating and stirring.
  • Drain the raisins and add them to the mixture and mix them in.
  • Keep stirring and try and drive off any liquid left.
  • Taste for sweetness – you may want to add more honey.
  • Leave to go completely cold before using.
  • Add the grated lemon rind.
  • *
  • If this is too much filling – you can always freeze some.

Yeast Dough

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon of fresh yeast
  • 4-5 tablespoons of milk (full fat or semi)
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar
  • 250g of spelt flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • 120g of butter
  • 20g of caster sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 egg white for glazing (I always use just egg white now – it does not burn as easily as whole egg)

Method

  • Warm 3-4 tablespoons of the milk to hand heat.
  • Add the teaspoon of sugar.
  • Add the yeast and leave it to froth up.
  • Place the flour into a large bowl and add the salt.
  • Cut in the butter with a knife and then make breadcrumbs with your fingers.
  • Stir in the sugar.
  • Make a well in the centre.
  • Add the egg yolk and the yeast mixture.
  • Use a knife at first to bring the dough together.
  • You may need some of the extra milk.
  • Use your fingers to gather all the ingredients into  a ball.
  • Knead the dough for around 5 minutes till you have a smooth dough.
  • Leave the dough to rest for at least 45 minutes – covered with a tea cloth.
  • ******
  • Grease and line several baking trays.
  • Cut the dough into 3 or 4 portions.
  • Roll the dough out thinly.
  • Use a 6cm cutter to cut out circles.
  • Place a small teaspoon of filling on half of the circles.
  • Place a second pastry circle on top.
  • Use a pastry fork to crimp the edges together making sure they are sealed.
  • Glaze with beaten egg white.
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180°C (quite low for a yeast pastry!).
  • Bake for 12-13 minutes.
  • Dust with icing sugar whilst still warm.
  • Leave to cool.
 

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.

St Martin’s Croissants

  • St Martin’s Day (swietomarciński) is 11 November.*
  • These rogaliki – crescents or horns  or Marcińki are traditionally eaten around that day.
  • The recipe originates from Poznań – but the bakeries in Gdańsk had many for sale at the end of October when I was there.
  • The ones in the bakeries were much smaller than ones I have made in the past – see photo at the bottom right hand side.
  • *
  • The pastry is a flaky yeast pastry.
  • The filling is a poppy seed and dried fruit filling (some recipes add chopped nuts as well).
  • They are delicious.
  • White poppy seeds are often used  – I have not seen these here in England.
  • * Since 1918 – 11 November is also Independence Day
  •  

INGREDIENTS – Filling

  • 100g poppy seeds
  • 300ml milk
  • 2 tablespoons of runny honey
  • 1 tablespoon of semolina
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 50g mixed peel
  • 75g sultanas

Method

  • Put the poppy seeds and milk into a saucepan and simmer then together for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop any sticking or burning.
  • The aim is to cook the seeds and adsorb as much of the milk as possible.
  • You need to watch this carefully and keep adjusting the heat to stop the mixture burning.
  • Keep stirring and heating until the milk is absorbed.
  • The poppy seeds then need to be crushed, I use a hand held blender for about 5 minutes which I find is the easiest way.
  • Once crushed, add the semolina, mixed peel and sultanas
  • Whisk the egg yolk and honey together until this is thick and creamy and then add this to the mixture.
  • Leave to cool before using.

Ingredients – Pastry

Leaven – Starter

  • 150g plain flour
  • 200ml warm milk
  • 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar
  • 1 pkt of dried yeast (= 1 tablespoon)

Rest of Ingredients

  • 300g plain flour
  • 100g butter
  • 2 yolks
  • *
  • a little more milk might be needed 
  • Egg white to glaze
  • For layering
  • Around 180g of butter

Method

  • Mix the yeast and sugar into the hand hot milk.
  • Put 150g of flour into a bowl and mix in the milk mixture until it is like double cream.
  • Cover the bowl and leave it to rise.
  • *
  • Rub the butter into the 300g of flour until it is like breadcrumbs.
  • Add the egg yolks and the yeast starter.
  • Mix till you get a soft dough – you might need to add a tablespoon or so of milk – depends on the flour.
  • Knead the dough till you have a nice smooth ball.
  • Leave in a bowl, covered, to rise and double in size.
  • *
  • Place the butter into a dish and leave at room temperature to soften.
  • Knead the risen dough lightly for a few minutes.
  • **
  • Roll out the dough out thinly into a large rectangle.
  • Spread a around a sixth of the butter over 2/3rds of the surface.
  • Fold the dough without the butter over a third of the dough.
  • Fold the rest of the dough over this – making a rectangle.
  • Turn the dough by 90°.
  • Repeat the rolling, butter spreading and folding
  • Leave to rest for around 10 minutes.
  • ***
  • Repeat from ** to *** twice.
  • *
  • Cover the dough in greaseproof paper and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes or longer if you do not want to use just straight away.
  • When you want to use the dough take it out of the fridge for 20 minutes first.
  • *
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM 4 – 180°C
  • Grease two baking sheets.
  • Roll the dough out into a rectangle to use.
  • *
  • With a knife or pizza cutter divide the dough into 8 or 16 triangles.
  • Place a teaspoon of filling at the fat end.
  • Roll up the triangle from the fat end to get the horn shape.
  • You can curve it slightly.
  • Place them on a baking sheet – as far apart as possible.
  • Repeat with the rest of the dough.
  • Brush the tops with egg white.
  • Cover loosely and leave for about 15 minutes.
  • Bake for around 14 – 15 minutes.

NOTE

Poppy Seed – Tort

  • Today is 31 December 2023 and this will be my 590th post.
  • Thank you to everyone who reads any of them.
  • *
  • Poppy seed cakes are a very Christmas time thing in Polish cookery.
  • But of course can be found all through out the year as well.
  • This could be called a makowiec – but it is light and more a tort (sponge layer cake).
  • I got a packet of ground poppy seeds (for the first time) and this recipe was on the back.
  • I tried it out and it is light, fluffy and delicious.
  • It is good just on its own but the suggestion is to add butter cream.
  • I used a rum flavoured butter cream but think, vanilla, rum or lemon rind would also work well.
  • You can cut the cake in half and sandwich it together or put the butter cream on the top.
  • The cake takes 6 eggs and was baked in a 24cm diameter round tin.
  • It is left to cool in the tin and does sink slightly in the middle.
  • I think next time using 2 sandwich type tins would be better or
  • Make ½ the quantity.

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 eggs separated.
  • 200g granulated sugar
  • 200g ground poppy seeds (a whole packet)
  • 3 tablespoons of semolina 
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • pinch of salt

Method

  • Grease and line the base of a 24 cm round tin.
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180°C.
  • Mix together the poppy seeds, semolina and baking powder.
  • Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar till thick and creamy.
  • Fold in the poppy seed mixture.
  • Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and whisk till stiff.
  • Fold the whites into the rest of the cake mixture.
  • Put into the cake tin and smooth over the top.
  • Bake for 40 – 45 minutes.
  • Leave to cool in the tin.
  • The cake may drop slightly in the middle.
  • *
  • Serve dusted with icing sugar or
  • Cut in half and sandwich with a butter cream of your choice – vanilla, rum or brandy or lemon rind.

Duchess & Meakin poppy tea plates.

Onion Rolls

  • When I visited one of my aunties in Białystok we often talked about cooking and recipes.
  • She mentioned making making bread rolls with onions on top.
  • I did not get an actual recipe and looked some up instead.
  • You can call these cebulaki – (cebula = onion in Polish).
  • However I did find that they are often called  biały as they are a traditional recipe from Białystok.
  • I discovered you will find these for sale in New York as they were brought there by Polish and Jewish émigrés from Białystok around 1920.
  • The traditional topping is fried onion and poppy seeds.

Ingredients – Rolls

  • 200g & 50g plain flour
  • 150 ml warm milk
  • 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
  • ½ tablespoon of dried yeast
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 egg white – for brushing

Ingredients – Topping

  • 1 onion
  • 1 tablespoons of butter
  • Large pinch of salt
  • Ground pepper
  • ½ tablespoon of poppy seeds

Method – Rolls

  • Mix the milk, yeast, sugar and 50g of plain flour.
  • Leave for 20 minutes
  • Put the 200g  of plain flour, salt, yolks and yeast mixture in a bowl
  • Mix together to form a soft dough.
  • Add a little extra milk if this is too dry.
  • Knead for 10 minutes – set a timer – till you get a smooth ball.
  • Cover and leave for 1½ – 2 hours.
  • Line the baking tray with baking paper.
  • *
  • Make the onion topping.
  • *
  • Lightly knead the dough for a few minutes.
  • Divide the dough into 6.
  • Roll each one to make a ball.
  • Place the balls on the baking tray and flatten each one.
  • Cover and leave for 30 minutes.
  • Pre-heat the oven  to GM6 – 200°C.
  • Using finger tips or the base of a tumbler flatten the centre of each roll.
  • Brush with beaten egg white.
  • Put  the onion and poppy seed mixture into the centre of each roll. 
  • Bake for 20 minutes.
  • Leave to cool on a wire rack.
  • *
  • Serve warm or cold.

Method – Onion Topping

  • Thinly slice the onion and cut the slices into quarters.
  • Fry the onion in butter till golden brown.
  • Add salt and pepper.
  • Leave to cool completely.
  • Mix in the poppy seeds.

Poppy Seed Yeast Buns

I recently posted a recipe for cinnamon buns, which were very soft and fluffy.

I thought – Why not use the traditional sweet Polish poppy seed mixture instead of the cinnamon mixture? – and so I did.

A mixture of strong and plain flours is used making the dough softer and a little harder to handle. After the first rising the dough is NOT knocked back, just used as it is to make a rectangular shape. Putting the buns into a deep foil lined roasting tin helps to let them rise into shape.

Ingredients – Dough

  • 250g strong flour
  • 250g plain flour
  • Half a tablespoon of dried yeast
  • 50g butter
  • 50g granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • Around 330ml milk

Method

  • Line a roasting tin with foil taking it all up the sides.
  • Warm a little of the milk and add the yeast.
  • Leave for around 10 minutes.
  • Mix the flours together.
  • Rub the butter into the flour – like breadcrumbs.
  • Add the sugar.
  • Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeast mixture.
  • Add the beaten egg.
  • Slowly add the milk – you might not need all of it.
  • Use a knife first to start to bring everything together
  • Then use your hands and form a soft dough ball.
  • Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for at least 5 minutes – even up to 10 minutes.
  • Place the dough into a bowl, cover (a disposable shower cap is good) and leave to rise until the dough has doubled in size.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board.
  • DO NOT KNOCK BACK THE DOUGH.
  • Using you fingers gently flatten and shape the dough into a rectangle.
  • Cover the dough with the poppy seed mixture.
  • Roll into a log.
  • Slice into thick pieces.
  • Place the pieces into the tin.
  • Cover and leave to rise.
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM6 – 200°C
  • Once all the pieces are touching put in the hot oven.
  • Bake for around 20 mins – check and maybe cover after 15mins.
  • Drizzle some icing made from lemon juice and icing sugar over these or just dust with icing sugar.
  • Leave to cool in the tin on a cake grid.

Ingredients – Poppy seed mix

  • 180ml of milk (full fat or semi)
  • Around 100ml of runny honey (extra may be needed)
  • 120g of poppy seeds *
  • 50g of raisins
  • Strong Earl Grey tea
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • *
  • * You can grind the poppy seeds – I used a little electric grinder.

Method

  • Make some strong Earl Grey tea.
  • Put the raisins in a small bowl and cover them with the hot tea and leave till they go cold.
  • Into a small saucepan put the poppy seeds and the milk.
  • Bring to the boil then lower the heat.
  • Simmer gently for around 20 minutes, stirring constantly.
  • Take care not to let the mixture burn.
  • Add the honey and continue heating and stirring.
  • Drain the raisins and add them to the mixture and mix them in.
  • Keep stirring and try and drive off any liquid left.
  • Taste for sweetness – you may want to add more honey.
  • Leave to go completely cold before using.
  • Add the grated lemon rind.
  • *
  • If this is too much filling – you can always freeze some.