Poppy Seed Cake
Inspired by Saxony and Thuringia, this poppy seed cake with sour cream feels velvety soft on the palate. Homemade poppy seed filling with hints of cinnamon and lemon, topped with an “Eierschecke” layer on a tender base.
Print recipe
Save on Pinterest
Servings: 12
Equipment
- Electric hand mixer (with whisk and beater attachments)
- Kaiser La Forme Plus springform pan (26 cm / 10-inch diameter)
- Kaiser Inspiration silicone scraper (about 30 cm / 12 inches long)
- Zenker stainless steel cake lifter (about 28 cm / 11 inches wide)
- Digital kitchen scale (with tare function, 5 kg / 11 lb capacity)
- Whisk
Recommended equipmentView products
Ingredients
Cake base
- 150 g Flour (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 75 g Margarine (about 1/3 cup)
- 80 g Sugar (about 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp)
- 1 Egg
- 2 TL Baking powder (2 tsp)
Homemade poppy seed mixture
- 180 ml Milk (about 3/4 cup)
- 70 g Sugar (about 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp)
- 16 g Vanilla sugar (about 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp) (recommended: Dr. Oetker Bourbon Vanilla Sugar, 8 g per packet)
- 200 g Poppy seeds (ground or steamed poppy seeds) (about 1 1/3 cups) (recommended: organic steamed poppy seeds)
- 1 1/2 TL Honey (1 1/2 tsp)
- 1 1/2 TL Cinnamon (1 1/2 tsp)
- 3/4 TL Lemon zest (3/4 tsp) (recommended: zest of one organic lemon)
Poppy seed pudding layer
- 650 ml Milk (about 2 3/4 cups)
- 55 g Vanilla pudding powder (about 1/2 cup) (recommended: vanilla pudding powder)
- 200 g Sour cream (about 3/4 cup)
- 1 Homemade poppy seed mixture (1 tbsp)
Sour cream egg layer
- 4 Eggs
- 100 g Powdered sugar (about 3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp)
- 300 g Sour cream (about 1 1/4 cups)
Instructions
Cake base
- Stir flour, margarine, sugar, egg, and baking powder until the batter is spreadable. Lightly grease the inside of the springform ring with rapeseed oil. Spread the batter in the pan and press down firmly, e.g., with a glass. Smooth the surface.
Poppy seed mixture
- Bring milk, sugar, and vanilla sugar to a boil until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat. Stir in poppy seeds, honey, cinnamon, and lemon zest. Cover and let swell for 5 minutes. Consistency: spreadable, not runny. If too firm, add a little milk, wait briefly, and check again.
Poppy seed pudding layer
- Cook a thick vanilla pudding from 650 ml milk and 55 g vanilla pudding powder (do not add extra sugar). As soon as it thickens noticeably, remove from the heat. Stir the entire poppy seed mixture into the hot pudding until smooth. Then quickly stir in 200 g sour cream. Spread the mixture over the base immediately and smooth it out. It should fall thickly from a spoon and not run. If it still feels too soft right after stirring, let it stand for a few minutes, it will set up.
First baking stage
- Bake at 180 C for about 30 minutes, until the surface has visibly set and feels stable.
Prepare the sour cream egg layer
- Separate the eggs. Mix the yolks with powdered sugar and 300 g sour cream until smooth. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold them in carefully until the mixture looks even and no large streaks of egg white remain. Remove the pre-baked poppy seed cake from the oven, spread the sour cream egg layer on top, and smooth it out. When folding, mix only as long as needed.
Finish baking
- Smooth the sour cream egg layer and bake the cake for another 20-25 minutes at 180°C (356°F). If the top browns too quickly, cover it loosely. Then turn off the oven and leave the door slightly ajar for 10 minutes, for example with the handle of a wooden spoon. After that, remove the cake and let it cool completely.
Already tried this recipe?Thanks for your rating.
Note: The links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. You pay the regular Amazon price – there are no additional costs for you. When you click a product link, Amazon’s own privacy and cookie policies apply. You can find more details in the privacy policy.
Recommended equipment
For this Poppy Seed Cake, a reliable springform pan, an accurate kitchen scale and a powerful hand mixer have proven to work especially well. Here is a selection we particularly enjoy working with:
