The best poppy seed cake on a shortcrust base, topped with icing and candied orange peel. It appeared on my Christmas table, and I will happily return to this recipe in the future. Perfectly moist, rich and completely trouble-free to bake. Highly recommended.
Ingredients for the shortcrust base:
- 200 g plain flour
- 125 g butter, cold
- 1 egg
- 4 tablespoons icing sugar
All ingredients should be chilled.
Grease a rectangular tin measuring 23 x 34 cm (base dimensions; the tin widens towards the top) and line it with baking parchment.
Quickly knead the ingredients for the shortcrust base by hand or process them in a food processor. Shape into a ball, flatten slightly, wrap in cling film and chill in the refrigerator for 60 minutes.
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and line the base of the tin with it. You can roll it out first, or tear off pieces and press them into the tin, then level the surface, for example by rolling a drinking glass (laid on its side) inside the tin. Smooth the surface and chill again for approximately 30 minutes. Just before baking, prick all over with a fork.
Bake at 190ºC for approximately 15 minutes, or slightly less, only until lightly golden and baked through. Remove and leave to cool.
Ingredients for the poppy seed filling:
- 600 g poppy seeds
- 500 g apples
- 200 g butter
- 250 g caster sugar
- 5 large eggs, whites and yolks separated
- 70 g semolina
- 50 g raisins
- 50 g chopped walnuts or almonds
- 50 g candied orange peel
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
All ingredients should be at room temperature.
Cover the poppy seeds with boiling water (just enough to cover them), leave to cool, then drain thoroughly and pass twice through a meat grinder fitted with a fine poppy seed plate. Alternatively, cover the poppy seeds with boiling water and simmer for 20 minutes, squeeze out the excess water, leave to cool and then grind twice through a meat grinder fitted with a fine poppy seed plate.
Ready-ground poppy seeds, often available in shops, can also be used for the filling. This is a considerable shortcut, as they do not need grinding. Simply cover with boiling water, leave to cool, then squeeze out the excess water thoroughly, for example using a linen kitchen towel.
Peel the apples, remove the cores and grate them on the coarse side of a grater.
Place the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer and cream with the sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, continuing to beat. Add the soaked (and squeezed) ground poppy seeds, grated apples, semolina, raisins, candied orange peel, chopped walnuts or almonds and almond extract, then mix until combined. Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form and gently fold them into the poppy seed mixture. Spread the prepared poppy seed filling over the pre-baked shortcrust base.
Bake at 180ºC for approximately 60 minutes (the baking time can be extended by 10 minutes if necessary; the cake will rise slightly and crack, but it will return to its proper appearance while cooling – do not worry about this). Remove the poppy seed cake from the oven and leave to cool.
In addition:
- ½ cup candied orange peel
Ingredients for the icing:
- 1½ cups icing sugar
- 4 tablespoons orange juice or water
Mix the icing ingredients together in a bowl using the back of a spoon. If the icing is too thick, add more juice; if it is too thin, add more icing sugar. Spread the icing over the cake and sprinkle with the candied orange peel.
Enjoy!
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