How to use poppy seeds in healthy cake recipes

Poppy seeds are not as popular an ingredient in baking globally but it is cherished in our home country and loved in some of the Central and Eastern European countries. There’s halwa made from sooji, then there’s Makovník which is a kind of poppy seed roll popular in the Slavic countries. There’s also the Austrian poppy seed strudel and breads and pastries popular in the surrounding countries. Lately, there has been an uptick in the use of poppy cakes in the West, notably the lemon poppy cake with delicious lemon icing, which is also popular in most bakeries that sell Western confections. So, here are some recipes that make the best of these tiny seeds of flavor that pack a punch.

1. Lemon Poppy Cake Loaf

Ingredients

For the cake

• 225 gm all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 175 gm butter (softened)
• 165 gm sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 2 tbsp poppy seeds
• 175 ml milk

For the glaze (optional)

• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 120 gm powdered sugar
• 3 tsp milk

Instructions

1. Gather the listed ingredients then set your oven to heat at 180°C. Also, grease a 9x5-inches loaf tin with butter. Set this one aside.
2. Now, in a bowl add the flour, baking powder, and salt, mix and set aside.
3. Take a hand mixer now and on low, whisk the softened butter and sugar. It will resemble a sort of creamy pale yellow meringue once whisked enough.
4. Time for the eggs to be cracked in, one at a time. Use the hand mixer then add the lemon juice, zest and the poppy seeds. Mix and then introduce half of the milk and half of the mixed flour from earlier. Mix with the electric mixer then add the rest of the flour and milk, mixing again.
5. Scrape this smooth batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes and check with a toothpick by poking the centre of the loaf. A few crumbs that aren't too sticky are okay and it means your cake is done. Remove from heat and cool off on the shelf.
6. Move to the icing now: add the lemon juice, powdered sugar and the milk to a bowl. Mix with a whisk or spoon stretching the icing to the surface to check the runny aspect. Don't add too much milk, the icing should be thick and spreadable, not too runny that it slides off the cake. Brush or spoon over the cake generously and serve.

2. Sooji (poppy seed) Halwa

(4 servings)

Ingredients

• 100 gm sugar
• 180 ml water
• 180 ml milk
• 75 gm ghee
• 90 gm sooji (semolina)
• 10 cashew nuts (chopped into small pieces)
• 1/8 teaspoon cardamom powder

Instructions

1. Grab a saucepan and add the sugar in water and milk. Keep over medium heat and stir. Don't allow it to boil, just keep on enough heat to dissolve the sugar.
2. Take another non-stick pan and heat the ghee, keeping on medium flame. Put the sooji and cashews and roast both. Reduce heat to low then add the cardamom powder or crush 1-2 pods of cardamom and add it to the ghee pan.
3. Keep roasting until the sooji is fragrant, changes color and releases aroma. Pour the diluted sugary milk, slowly, into this pan then. Keep whisking as you add the liquid because the pan will sizzle and the liquid will bubble.
4. The sooji will start to slowly soak up the milk, forming a thick paste-like consistency. If you like your sooji wet, stir for a while and remove from heat. Otherwise, wait until the sooji thickens a bit more and starts to leave the sides of the pan. Serve with a sprinkling of chopped nuts.

3. Poppy Seed Rolls

Ingredients

Dough

• 280 gm all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 50 gm sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 235 ml milk (hot)
• 30 ml vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Filling

• 100 gm poppy seeds
• 80 ml boiling water
• 30 gm ground almonds
• 100 gm sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1 tbsp orange zest

Instructions

1. Prepare the dough first: add yeast to the milk and let it rest for 10 minutes for the little fungus to activate. Then add the flour, sugar, salt, milk, oil and eggs to this bowl. Mixing to combine all the ingredients. Flour a clean surface and take the dough out and start kneading. If too sticky, sprinkle some flour, and if the dough is too dry, add some water and knead.
2. Transfer back to the bowl. Cover with a linen cloth of plastic film and let the dough rise. Keep it at room temperature, it'll take roughly 30 minutes.
3. Now, line a baking tray with foil or parchment paper and move on to make the filling. Use a mixer grinder with the spice blades and grind the poppy seeds. Once crushed, add them to a bowl and pour hot water on them. Also add the rest of the fillings to it: ground almonds, sugar, vanilla essence, lemon and orange zest. Mix and keep aside.
4. Roll and flatten the dough into a rectangle. Then spread the filling evenly, leaving about a 1- 2 cm border of dough towards the edge. Start from the shorter side and roll up the dough tightly to form a log. Pinch the seam and tuck the ends under to seal in the filling. Place the roll seam-side down on the lined baking tray. Allow to rest for 30- 60 minutes to rise.
5. While the log expands, preheat the oven to 180°C. Using a pastry brush, coat the surface of the roll with the egg wash. Bake for 35 minutes, for the roll to turn a deep golden brown.