European Recipe ~ Polish Poppy Seed Cake

This traditional Polish cake is rich with poppy seeds and usually served for special occasions like Christmas and Easter, but it's wonderful any time. A short crust base is topped with a poppy seed mixture, then glazed. Unique, delicious, and quite easy to do!

Ingredients

• 3 ½ cups poppy seeds
• boiling water to cover
• 5 eggs, divided
• 9 tablespoons margarine
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup margarine
• ⅓ cup white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 apple - peeled, cored, and grated
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• ⅓ cup boiling water

Cooking Directions

1. Place poppy seeds in a small pot, cover with boiling water and set aside for 24 hours.
2. Line a colander with a cheesecloth and spoon in the poppy seeds. Allow to drain for several hours. Once drained, transfer to a food processor and process until fine.
3. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup margarine, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 egg, and baking powder in a large bowl and knead into a smooth dough.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a deep quarter sheet pan (9x13-inches) and line with parchment paper.
5. Roll out dough on a slightly floured surface and place in the prepared sheet pan.
6. Combine egg yolks, 9 tablespoons margarine, and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in drained poppy seeds gradually. Add apples, honey, breadcrumbs, walnuts, and raisins and mix well.
7. Beat egg whites in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl until stiff peaks form. Lift your beater or whisk straight up: the egg whites will form sharp peaks. Fold egg whites into poppy seed mixture; spread over base in sheet pan.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour until cake is set; transfer to a wire rack to cool.
9. Mix enough boiling water with confectioner's sugar to form a smooth icing. Spread generously over cooled cake.

Nutrition Facts

• calories581.2
• carbohydrateContent63.7 g
• cholesterolContent67 mg
• fatContent34 g
• fiberContent4.5 g
• proteinContent10.4 g
• saturatedFatContent5 g
• sodiumContent256.2 mg
• sugarContent47.6 g