My one-pound bag of poppy seeds was still almost full after making Luisa Weiss's poppy-seed crescent rolls, so I decided to try another one of her recipes that would make a bigger dent in my supply. Her Mohnstreuselkuchen (Poppy-Seed Streusel Cake) requires 250 grams of poppy seeds, or more than half a pound. The headnote describes it as "A sweet, warm, yeasty cake... under a thick and creamy layer of ground poppy seeds and ground almonds that have swelled up in hot milk... [t]opped with a sweet-salty cap of Streusel..." Weiss also says that this cake stays good for a few days after baking -- and her photo of the cake here looks lovely (there is no photo in the cookbook).
To make the dough, you dump all of the ingredients (flour, instant yeast, sugar, milk, salt, lemon zest, melted high-fat butter, and half a beaten egg) into a bowl, mix until a shaggy dough forms, and knead. I did this in my Kitchenaid mixer and let the dough rise for about 90 minutes, during which I made the poppy seed filling and the streusel topping.
To make the filling, I brought milk, butter, and salt to a boil; added ground poppy seeds and sugar; let the mixture sit for 10 minutes; added ground almonds, honey, cornstarch and almond extract; stirred in an egg and two egg yolks; and folded in egg whites whipped to stiff peaks. The streusel is a mixture of flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, softened high-fat butter, vanilla, and beaten egg.
I pressed the risen dough into the bottom of a parchment-lined 9-inch by 13-inch pan (the recipe says you should roll out the dough, but it was so soft that it was easier to use my hands) and let it rise again in the pan for about 30 minutes. Then I dimpled the dough with my fingertips, spread over the poppy seed filling, and sprinkled on the streusel. I baked the cake until the streusel was brown and crisp.
I was happy that my cake looked a lot like the one in Weiss's photo. The layer of cake on the bottom is quite thin and the poppy seed filling dominates. I enjoyed this cake quite a bit and as promised, it stayed delicious for days. While I like poppy seeds, I feared this cake might be poppy seed overload. It wasn't. I really liked the distinctive texture of the ground poppy seeds, and I loved the addition of ground almonds and almond extract. The bit of lemon in the cake also brightened the flavor. The streusel seemed unnecessary from a flavor perspective, but I suppose this cake would not be nearly as attractive if the poppy seed filling was exposed. This cake was very good and I would recommend it.
Recipe: "Mohnstreuselkuchen (Poppy-Seed Streusel Cake)" from Classic German Baking by Luisa Weiss.
Previous Post: "Fat and Fluffy Are Not the Same Thing: Mohnhörnchen (Poppy-Seed Crescent Rolls)," July 15, 2017.
To make the dough, you dump all of the ingredients (flour, instant yeast, sugar, milk, salt, lemon zest, melted high-fat butter, and half a beaten egg) into a bowl, mix until a shaggy dough forms, and knead. I did this in my Kitchenaid mixer and let the dough rise for about 90 minutes, during which I made the poppy seed filling and the streusel topping.
To make the filling, I brought milk, butter, and salt to a boil; added ground poppy seeds and sugar; let the mixture sit for 10 minutes; added ground almonds, honey, cornstarch and almond extract; stirred in an egg and two egg yolks; and folded in egg whites whipped to stiff peaks. The streusel is a mixture of flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, softened high-fat butter, vanilla, and beaten egg.
I pressed the risen dough into the bottom of a parchment-lined 9-inch by 13-inch pan (the recipe says you should roll out the dough, but it was so soft that it was easier to use my hands) and let it rise again in the pan for about 30 minutes. Then I dimpled the dough with my fingertips, spread over the poppy seed filling, and sprinkled on the streusel. I baked the cake until the streusel was brown and crisp.
Recipe: "Mohnstreuselkuchen (Poppy-Seed Streusel Cake)" from Classic German Baking by Luisa Weiss.
Previous Post: "Fat and Fluffy Are Not the Same Thing: Mohnhörnchen (Poppy-Seed Crescent Rolls)," July 15, 2017.
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