For those who, like me, cannot have enough poppy seeds, this is the cake for you.
The origin of this rich poppy seed cake is in Hungary. And you can find different types of poppy seed cakes in Israel too, especially around the holiday of Purim.
The chocolate ganache on top adds a lot of flavor, but the cake is wonderful even without it.
Poppy seed and chocolate ganache cake
Course: cake, dessertCuisine: Hungarian, Israeli, JewishDifficulty: easy9
inch cake30
minutes50
minutesThe origin of this rich poppy seed cake is in Hungary. And you can find different types of poppy seed cakes in Israel too, especially around the holiday of Purim.
The chocolate ganache on top adds a lot of flavor, but the cake is wonderful even without it.
Poppy seeds are available in bulk online, and at most Eastern European and Middle Eastern supermarkets. Alternately, you can buy a few jars of poppy seeds from the spice rack at any chain supermarket.
Note: Poppy seed pastries are very popular in Eastern Europe and Israel. To achieve the rich texture of the cooked poppy seed, the seeds need to be ground. The way to do it is with either an electric coffee grinder or with a blender, preferably a powerful one, such as Vitamix. As you grind the poppy seed they will become darker in color and will resemble almond flour in texture. Grind the poppy seed close to when you’re ready to cook with it, as it becomes rancid pretty quickly, especially when ground. If you have to grind in advance, keep it in a sealed container in the freezer until you’re ready to use.
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients:
4 eggs at room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 oz. (7 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
14 TBSP butter at room temperature
6 oz. (⅔ cup) apple sauce
7 oz. finely ground poppy seeds (see note above)
- For the chocolate ganache (optional)
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
⅓ cup heavy cream
Pinch of Kosher salt
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 325 F degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch spring-form pan.
- In the bowl of a mixer beat the eggs and sugar for 10 minutes. In the meantime, mix the flour and the baking powder in a small bowl.
- Lower the speed of the mixer, beat in the butter and apple sauce until blended. Blend in the flour mixture and poppy seeds.
- Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only crumbs. Let the cake cool completely.
- For the chocolate ganache, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the cream and salt just to a boil. Immediately pour over the chocolate. Wait for one minute, then stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Let cool to room temperature and spread over the cake.
- Keep the cake in the refrigerator. Take it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you serve.
Pingback: Poppy seeds forever - Vered's Israeli Cooking