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Poppy Seed Cake – Czech Makovec
4.8 from 15 votes

Poppy Seed Cake – Czech Makovec

This is a recipe for poppy seed cake with lemon icing. We call this cake makovec in the Czech Republic.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Additional Time
10 mins
Total Time
55 mins
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 306 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Czech

Ingredients

Poppy seed batter:
  • 1 cup poppy seed ground
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • ⅓ cup sunflower oil (or canola)
  • 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 ⅓ cups milk
  • breadcrumbs to grease and dust a sheet pan, breadcrumbs sifted
  • butter to grease and dust a sheet pan, breadcrumbs sifted
Lemon icing:
  • 1 ½ cups icing sugar sifted
  • 4 Tablespoons lemon juice freshly pressed

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Before you start cooking: Grease a sheet pan with a knob of butter and dust it with 2 Tablespoons of flour. Preheat te oven to 340 °F.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, crack 1 egg, add ⅓ cup sunflower oil and 1 cup granulated sugar. Mix with a hand-held kitchen mixer for 3 minutes.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup ground poppy seeds, and 1 Tablespoon baking powder. Add the mixture to the beaten egg. Pour in 1 ⅓ cups milk and mix everything using a hand mixer on low speed until a semi-liquid batter is created.
  4. Pour and spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
  5. Bake for 30 minutes. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the cake center. The tooth stick needs to come out clean, or with a few crumbs stuck to the tooth stick, then the cake is finished.
  6. Set the baked cake aside. Meantime, make a smooth lemon icing. To achieve this, mix 1 ½ cups icing sugar with freshly pressed 4 Tablespoons lemon juice. Drizzle the lemon icing over warm cake and spread it using a reverse side of tablespoon.
  7. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan. Slice and serve as a dessert or a coffee cake.

Notes

  • Makes 12-16 pieces.
  • Use whichever 10x15 inch (25x37 cm) baking pan with higher rims. The cake will rise while baked because of the baking powder's content.
  • The lemon icing is loaded with lemon flavor. It's a fantastic topping for this Czech-style poppy seed cake. Without this lemon icing, the cake wouldn't be complete. For the best result, use freshly pressed lemon juice.
  • EXTRA TIP: For more juiciness, add a handful of raisins to the poppy seed batter.

Nutrition Information

Calories 306kcal (15%) Carbohydrates 49g (16%) Protein 5g (10%) Fat 11g (17%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Polyunsaturated Fat 6g (35%) Monounsaturated Fat 2g (10%) Trans Fat 0.04g (2%) Cholesterol 17mg (6%) Sodium 125mg (5%) Potassium 130mg (3%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 33g (66%) Vitamin A 64IU (1%) Vitamin C 2mg (2%) Calcium 217mg (22%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12 slices

Amount Per Serving

Calories 306

% Daily Value*

Calories 306kcal 15%
Carbohydrates 49g 16%
Protein 5g 10%
Fat 11g 17%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Polyunsaturated Fat 6g 35%
Monounsaturated Fat 2g 10%
Trans Fat 0.04g 2%
Cholesterol 17mg 6%
Sodium 125mg 5%
Potassium 130mg 3%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 33g 66%
Vitamin A 64IU 1%
Vitamin C 2mg 2%
Calcium 217mg 22%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.