Chocolate poppy seed cake

Chocolate poppy seed cake is made with a rich chocolate poppy seed filling and topped with a glossy chocolate glaze. This flourless poppy seed cake is packed with nuts, candied orange peel and dried cranberries. There’s no need for a pastry base — the cake is already wonderfully rich and satisfying on its own. It slices beautifully without crumbling and looks stunning on a festive table. A perfect choice for anyone who loves poppy seed filling more than the pastry itself!

Ingredients for the chocolate poppy seed cake:

• 500 g poppy seeds
• 100 g butter
• 1/2 cup soft light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup runny honey*
• 50 g dried cranberries
• 100 g walnuts, chopped
• 50 g candied orange peel
• 5 large eggs, separated
• 100 g dark or milk chocolate, finely grated
• 2 tablespoons ground almonds
• 2 teaspoons almond extract

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Pour boiling water over the poppy seeds until covered. Leave to cool completely, then drain thoroughly and grind twice using a meat grinder fitted with a fine poppy seed attachment. Alternatively, simmer the poppy seeds in water for 20 minutes, drain well, cool and grind twice. You can also use ready-ground poppy seeds available in shops. In this case, simply cover them with boiling water, cool completely and squeeze out excess moisture thoroughly, for example using a clean linen kitchen towel. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the prepared poppy seeds, honey, dried fruit, nuts, grated chocolate, ground almonds and almond extract. Mix until combined. Taste the mixture and add more honey if needed. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold them into the poppy seed mixture.

Line a 24 – 25 cm round cake tin with baking paper. Transfer the mixture into the tin and level the surface.

Bake at 175°C for 40 – 50 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool completely and pour over the chocolate glaze.

Ingredients for chocolate glaze:

• 100 g dark or milk chocolate, chopped
• 100 ml double cream
• 1 teaspoon honey or golden syrup

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until almost boiling. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and honey and leave for 2 minutes. Stir until smooth and glossy. Leave briefly to thicken slightly before pouring over the cake.

* If the honey has crystallised, gently warm it until runny.

Enjoy!