Nicky’s grandmother’s fabulous Hungarian poppy seed cake

I’m not a big cake person, neither for making nor eating but every so often I try a cake that blows me away. And so it was on Xmas day when I tried Argentinian Nicky’s German grandmother’s Hungarian poppy seed cake (aka Makós Beigli). As I munched into it, I suddenly became aware of an amazing flavour that I didn’t even recognize. It was vaguely reminiscent of the smell of olive oil that hangs in the air in olive oil season. On further probing I found out that in Hungary they grind the seeds to a pulp which releases all the oil and turns them into something else completely.  Although you can grind the seeds in a normal electric grinder, Nicky has the real thing – made in Argentina by Hungarians who were obviously missing their cake, and left to Nicky by his grandma who recently died. It looks a bit like a meat grinder but its only function is to mill poppy seeds. Who knew.

 

We devoured the rest of the cake and  I convinced Nicky to do me a demo.  I have to share this recipe before New Year since this is a cake traditionally eaten during the festive season.

So as you see, little hard grey seeds go in and a chocolate-brown oily substance comes out. And with it, a ton of flavour. Nicky headed off into the kitchen with his seeds and put the cake together.

   

But to my great disappointment, even though it only needed 35 minutes in the oven, it had to stay in overnight to cool very slowly and maintain its soft texture.

 

And 24 hrs later there I was again, kettle on and ready for tea. And the cake? ….delicious!

 

Here’s how to do it:

Makós Beigli

Dough120ml milk1tsp sugar  15g fresh yeast 50g powdered sugar 500g flour 200g butter 2 eggs I tsp lemon zest Pinch of salt Sachet of vanilla sugar

Filling100ml milk250g powdered sugar  ½ tsp cinnamon 250 g ground poppy seeds 30 g raisins ½ grated apple I tsp lemon zest 4 tbs honey   I egg yolk for basting

MethodDissolve the sugar in warm milk, add the yeast and leave it till it bubbles. Then mix in the other dough ingredients, kneed well, cover with a cloth and leave to rise for 30 minutes.To make the filling, combine the powdered sugar, the vanilla sugar, cinnamon and add to the milk. Bring to the boil then stir in the poppy seeds and raisins. Continue stirring while it boils for a few minutes then add the grated apple, lemon zest and honey.  Divide the dough in half and roll out into 30×35 cm rectangles. Spread the filling evenly and roll lengthwise then seal the ends. Place on a greased baking tray – or parchment paper – and baste with the egg yolk Bake for 35 minutes at 350°. Leave inside the oven till completely cool and only cut the cake when you are ready to serve. Sprinkle with powdered sugar…and enjoy.

And all that remains on the plate is all that remains of the year.

I wish all of you a happy, healthy and peaceful year to come. Thank you for sharing this year with me.