This poppy seed cake with delicious almond crumble is simply irresistible. The preparation is very easy and fast. With this recipe, your poppy seed cake is guaranteed to be as good as those in the finest bakeries in Germany.
One of the world's oldest cultivated plants, the poppy probably originated in the Near East and plays the essential part in this moist poppy seed cake.
The recipe for this moist poppy seed cake with shortcrust pastry and crumble is a very special cake experience for your next Kaffeeklatsch.
Ingredients
Poppy Seeds
You can use whole poppy seeds or pre-ground poppy seeds. But I would not recommend using poppy seed filling from a can for this recipe as it contains ingredients that you don´t want in your cake and they would also alter the taste.
Soft Wheat Semolina
There are two different types of semolina. Durum wheat semolina is primarily used for the production of pasta. This recipe calls for soft wheat semolina. You can find soft wheat semolina in German delis and Russian grocery shops. You can also find it online.
If you buy soft wheat semolina try also this recipe for German semolina pudding - Grießbrei.
Apple Sauce
I like to use apple sauce for this recipe, but you could use apple compote too. Don´t use apple filling as this would make the cake overly sweet and the flavorings in the apple filling would alter the poppy seed cake taste.
Raisins
If you don´t like raisins, you can just omit them or add dried cherries which works also very well with this recipe.
Traditional Crumble Topping
I added to the traditional topping almond slices. If you don´t like or can´t eat almonds, you can just omit them from the recipe.
How is Poppy Seed Cake Called in German?
The cake is called “Mohnkuchen” or “Mohnkuchen mit Streuseln”. Streusel is the German word for crumble and is often also used in English.
How to pronounce "Mohnkuchen"?
Listen to this audio file to hear how to say "Mohnkuchen" in German.
German Poppy Seed Cake Recipe
Recipe
German Poppy Seed Cake
Ingredients
Cake Crust
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ½ cup sugar
- 5 tbsp. butter
- 1 egg
- 1 pinch of salt
Poppy Seed Filling
- 1 ¾ cups poppy seeds
- ½ cup soft wheat semolina
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- 2 cups apple sauce or apple compote
- 1 egg
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup hot water
Topping
- 1 cup flour
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ cup almond slices
- 7 tbsp. butter
- Powdered sugar optional
Instructions
- Add all ingredients for the cake crust to a large bowl and knead until well combined. Wrap into cling film and allow to rest refrigerated for about 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, start with the filling. Add raisins to a small bowl and cover them with hot water.
- Add milk, sugar, poppy seeds, ½ cup soft wheat semolina, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt to a saucepan and heat on medium heat. Stir frequently and cook for about 5-10 minutes until the mixture has thickened and comes to a brief boiling.
- Transfer filling to a mixing bowl and grind through a meat grinder using the smallest blade or blend with an immersion blender. In case you don´t have a grinder of immersion blender just omit this step.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Cut the butter for the filling into small pieces and mix it gradually into the filling, making sure everything is well combined.
- Blend in apple sauce and almond extract.
- Whisk the egg, add to the poppy seed filliing and mix well.
- Drain the raisins and add also to the filling.
- Grease a springform pan (8-10-inches works best for this recipe).
- Line the springform pan bottom with dough and pull some dough up on the sides to form an about 1-inch-high rim.
- Add flour, sugar, soft butter, vanilla extract, and almond slices to a mixing bowl, knead until crumbles (streusel) form.
- Pour the filling into the baking pan and place the streusel on top of the filling.
- Bake for 60 minutes in a to 350 F preheated oven.
- Shut off oven and allow the cake to sit at rest heat in the oven until the oven is completely cooled down.
- Remove the cake from oven and allow to cool completely before removing from pan.
- Transfer to a cake plate and dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
Nutrition
Tips
This cake is super moist and keeps for at least a week and longer if you refrigerate it.
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