Recipe Background
German Poppy Seed Cake sandwiches great flavor with an amazing crust! On the bottom and on top is a golden-brown, buttery, and crumbly streusel-like crust, which is just to die for on its own! But in the middle is a creamy, nutty poppy seed filling, with a hint of smooth, smoky, sugary rum! This is an unconventional dessert, but German Poppy Seed Cake absolutely makes a great impression!
German Poppy Seed Cake sandwiches great flavor with an amazing crust! On the bottom and on top is a golden-brown, buttery, and crumbly streusel-like crust, which is just to die for on its own! But in the middle is a creamy, nutty poppy seed filling, with a hint of smooth, smoky, sugary rum! This is an unconventional dessert, but German Poppy Seed Cake absolutely makes a great impression!
Ingredients
For the pastry and streusel:
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
For the filling:
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 scant cup semolina flour finely ground
- 2 1/2 cups freshly ground poppy seeds using a spice grinder and high-quality poppy seeds for a sweeter, less bitter taste
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 tablespoon rum can substitute vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a 12x15-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the softened butter, 1 cup of the sugar, and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract and beat using a handheld mixer until well-combined.
- Add the egg to the butter mixture and beat until well-combined.
- Add the all-purpose flour and beat until the mixture resembles crumbly dough.
- Place 1/2 of the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and press it out using the back of a spoon, until it fully covers the baking sheet in an even layer. Note: using a spoon here is critical, as it keeps the pastry from getting too warm from direct hand contact.
- In a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat, add the milk and the remaining sugar and stir until the sugar completely dissolves.
- Slowly add in the semolina flour to the milk mixture, adding a few tablespoons at a time and continuing to stir until all of the flour has been added.
- Bring the milk mixture to a low boil (if it is not already at a low boil) and cook the milk mixture, stirring constantly, until everything is well-incorporated and any raw flour smell is gone, about 2 minutes.
- Add the ground poppy seeds and stir to combine.
- Add the remaining butter and cook, stirring constantly, until the butter is fully melted and incorporated into the mixture.
- Transfer the pot from the heat and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
- Add the rum to the mixture and stir to combine.
- Spread the filling mixture evenly over the dough layer on the baking sheet.
- Break the remaining dough into a streusel topping and sprinkle it on top of the filling mixture.
- Bake until the streusel and pastry are golden-brown and cooked through, about 40 minutes.
- Allow the cake to cool, then slice and serve.
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