Poppy Seed Cake with Walnuts
A moist cake with not a speck of flour: ground walnuts, poppy seeds, and whipped egg whites carry the whole structure. A layer of apricot preserves cuts the richness of the nuts with a tart lift, and grated dark chocolate makes a restrained finish.
Poppy-seed-and-walnut cakes belong to the Central European, especially Austro-Hungarian, pastry tradition, where poppy seed is treated not as a topping but as a real “flour” base for the sponge – you’ll need a generous 5 oz (150 g) of it, ideally ground fresh.
Cook’s notes
- Grind the poppy seeds just before using; they stay fragrant and don’t turn bitter that way.
- Whip the whites in a separate, spotlessly dry bowl and fold from the bottom up so the batter doesn’t deflate.
- Bake low and slow, about an hour, or the top scorches while the middle stays raw.
- No apricot? Cherry or plum jam stands in nicely.
Serve chilled in thin slices – it’s a rich cake. Wrapped in plastic it keeps for several days and actually grows moister.
Part of European cuisine — 103 more recipes in the section.
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Ingredients
Instructions
Whip the butter with 1/3 of the sugar until foamy, combine with the egg yolks and mix well, then add the ground walnuts, ground poppy seeds, and grated lemon zest.
Whip the remaining sugar and egg whites into a stiff foam, gently fold it into the described mixture, and pour into a cake pan greased with butter and dusted with flour.
Place in the oven and bake at low heat for about an hour.
Remove from the pan and, once cooled, cut into 3 to 4 layers, spread them with apricot jam, stack them, and decorate with grated chocolate.
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