Poppy Seed Easter Cake Recipes

POPPY SEED CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a bundt pan.
• Cream together butter and 1 1/4 cups of the granulated sugar. Stir in 1/4 cup milk and vanilla.
• Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir in poppy seeds. Set aside.
• Alternately add the flour mixture and the 3/4 cup milk, a little bit at a time, stirring gently after each addition, starting and ending with flour.
• Beat the egg whites in a large bowl until they stand in soft peaks and then beat in remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Fold egg whites into cake batter.
• Pour batter into greased bundt pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes in the bundt pan before inverting on a wire rack.
• Sift powdered sugar over the top of the cake before serving.

POPPY SEED CAKE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, soak poppy seeds in milk for 30 minutes. Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes., In another large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder; add to creamed mixture alternately with poppy seed mixture, beating well after each addition. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; fold into batter. , Pour into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack., For frosting, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Spread over cake. Store in the refrigerator.

YEASTED COFFEE CAKE WITH POPPY-SEED FILLING

Steps:

• Combine the warm water, milk, 4 tablespoons butter, salt, sugar, cardamom, and eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Sprinkle yeast over top; let stand until foamy, 10 to 15 minutes.
• With the mixer running, gradually add flour. Mix until well combined; dough will be sticky. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and gently knead until dough forms a ball. Place in a large buttered bowl to rise, covered with plastic wrap, until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter two 9-inch tube pans; sprinkle bottom of each with 1/4 cup brown sugar. Punch down dough; turn onto lightly floured surface. With a rolling pin, roll into a rectangle that is about 14 by 17 inches and about 1/2 inch thick. Brush a third of the remaining butter over the middle third of the dough, and sprinkle with 1 cup of the filling. Fold the bottom third of dough over the filling and overlap the top third, forming an envelope. Rotate the dough 90 degrees. Roll the dough again into a rectangle roughly the same size, and repeat with butter and half of the remaining filling. Repeat one more time, three rollings in all, using remaining filling. Rotate dough 90 degrees, and let rest, covered with a damp cloth or plastic wrap, for 15 minutes. Roll dough one final time into a long rectangle, 11 by 17 inches and about 1 inch thick. With a sharp knife, cut a 1-inch slice from the end of the dough. Pick it up, twisting it gently into a spiral. Place the twist in the bottom of the pan, forming a circle. Repeat, using remaining dough, filling each tube pan with 2 layers of twisted dough. Cover each cake with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Bake cakes until golden brown, 40 to 50 minutes. Let rest in pans 15 minutes before inverting. Flip cakes over so attractive side is up. Serve cakes warm or at room temperature. After cooling completely, cakes can be frozen, wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap, up to 1 month.

BEST POPPY SEED CHIFFON CAKE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, soak poppy seeds in water 1 hour. Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes., Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325°. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda together twice; place in another large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks, oil, vanilla and poppy seed mixture. Add to flour mixture; beat until well blended., Add cream of tartar to egg whites; with clean beaters, beat on high speed just until stiff but not dry. Fold a fourth of the whites into batter, then fold in remaining whites., Gently transfer to an ungreased 10-in. tube pan. Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets. Bake on lowest oven rack 50-55 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert pan; cool completely in pan, about 1 hour. Run a knife around sides and center tube of pan. Remove cake to a serving plate., In a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, milk, butter and vanilla; pour over cake. If desired, top with flowers.