In those innocent pre-web days, a cake usually got the name of the person from whom we got the recipe: “Ella – black-white black cake“, “Irit cheesecake topped with sour cream” (recipe? soon!), “Amira fluffy “cheesecake” (recipe soon too), and last but not least – “Leah’s poppy seed cake!
This poppy seed cake was one of my favorites. I used to make it frequently in my pre-vegan era.
While I was thinking of recipes for the blog, I recalled that the recipe is still waiting for me in my old recipe binder on a checkered yellowing page, with my handwriting (which is often hard, even for me to decipher).
It was a layered cake consisting of a crispy crust baked until golden. On top of it, there was a juicy, soft filling of poppy seed and coconut, with egg yolks and whipped egg whites coated with rich chocolate glazing.
The vegan version makes the cake even better: although the whipped egg whites yield a high fluffy cake, it is at the expense of the juiciness of the filling and the bold taste of the poppy seed. So I replaced the yolks with vegan butter, which, like yolks, contains lecithin (of plant origin, of course). I also replaced the whipped egg whites with apple puree and almond butter and lowered the quantity of baking powder to get a more delicate dough.
The cake is not difficult to make, and the result is festive and addictive.
This cake makes a perfect match for the Hungarian Djerbo cake (recipe coming soon)❣️
We usually make cakes and cookies with poppy seed on Purim, a Jewish holiday that will occur next week.
Enjoy and a Happy Purim🥳🌺
Crust
- ⅓1 cup white spelt flour
- 100 gram vegan butter
- 2 Tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup sugar
- pinch salt
Poppy Seed Coconut Filling
- 200 gram ground poppy seeds see notes
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- pinch salt
- 1 Tablespoon vegan butter
- 226 grams apple puree with no added sugar two small containers
- 2 Tablespoon almond butter or tahini
- 150 gram shredded coconut
Chocolate Glazing
- 100 gram dark chocolate
- 2 Tablespoon cocoa powder
- ¼ cup Coconut milk 18% fat
- 2 Tablespoon maple syrup or sugar
- pinch salt
- 1 Tablespoon brown Rum or water
Crust
- (Preheat oven to 180 degrees (Celsius. 356 F
- Mix the dough ingredients in a bowl or food processor (preferably with a plastic blade) until it forms into a dough ball.
- Line a base (without sides) of a baking pan 24cm – 26cm in diameter (9.44 – 10.23 inches) well greased, or a rectangular baking pan, measuring 24 cm by 30cm (9.44 by 11.81 inches). Prick the dough with a fork.
- Bake the dough for about twenty minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. (Do not turn off the oven)
Poppy Seed Coconut Filling
- In a small pot or cauldron, put poppy seeds, sugar, water, and salt; Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook until the water evaporates. Remove from the heat.
- Add to the poppy seeds mixture vegan butter, shredded coconut, apple sauce, and almond butter. Mix well and flatten over the baked dough.
- Place in the middle of the oven and bake for about 45 minutes – until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
Chocolate Glazing
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt chocolate, cocoa, maple, coconut milk, and salt, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat, add a tablespoon of water or brown rum and mix well.
- Pour the chocolate mixture over the warm cake while tilting it from side to side to coat it completely.
- Serve the poppy seed cake with fresh fruit slices such as strawberry or kiwi.
 Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies in White Chocolate |
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