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Mohnkuchen
Poppy seed crumble cake
Poppy-seed sheet cake with butter crumble
Bavarian and Austrian bakeries, Saxon ones especially, cut Mohnkuchen from huge trays into thick, dark slabs that are eaten at the Sunday Kaffee und Kuchen table and at village fêtes. Under a sandy butter crumble sits a deep layer of ground poppy seeds cooked in milk with semolina and lemon, nutty and slightly bitter-sweet, on a thin shortcrust base. Some families add a splash of rum to the filling; it is written here without, and you can stir in 2 tablespoons with the lemon zest if you like. Whole seeds are the most common slip: they stay hard and gritty and never thicken the filling, so buy ready-ground poppy seed or grind it in a spice grinder. Chef's tip: let the filling cool before spreading it; hot filling melts the base and the cake splits from it when cut.
- Total time
- 95 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the base
- 9 oz plain flour
- 4 ½ oz buttercold, diced
- 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg
For the poppy filling
- 2 ½ cups milk
- 9 oz ground poppy seeds
- 5 ½ oz caster sugar
- 2 ⅛ oz butter
- 2 ½ oz fine semolina
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 ⅛ oz raisins (optional)
For the crumble
- 5 ½ oz plain flour
- 3 ½ oz caster sugar
- 3 ½ oz buttercold, diced
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Bring 2 ½ cups milk, 5 ½ oz caster sugar and 2 ⅛ oz butter to the boil. Stir in 9 oz ground poppy seeds and 2 ½ oz fine semolina and simmer gently, stirring, for 5 minutes, until thick like porridge.
6 minStep 2: Take off the heat, stir in 1 tbsp lemon zest and 2 ⅛ oz raisins, and leave to cool for 30 minutes. Then beat in 2 eggs.
30 minStep 3: Meanwhile, rub 4 ½ oz butter into 9 oz plain flour, 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar and 1 tsp baking powder, add 1 egg and press into a dough. Chill for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 4: Rub 5 ½ oz plain flour, 3 ½ oz caster sugar, 3 ½ oz butter and 1 tsp vanilla extract into large crumbs and chill.
Step 5: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Line a 23 × 33 cm tin with baking paper and press the dough evenly over the base.
Step 6: Spread the cooled poppy filling over the base and scatter the crumble on top.
Step 7: Bake for 45–50 minutes, until the crumble is golden and the filling is firm when you press the middle.
48 minStep 8: Cool completely in the tin before cutting into squares. It slices best the next day and keeps 4 days.
60 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 41 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mohnkuchen take?
- About 95 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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