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Makowiec - Polish Poppy Seed Cake. Add/Read Comments
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Just goes to show you can't trust everything you find on the Internet. A recipe for a Polish poppy-seed cake asked for 400g of poppy seeds. Have these people seen how many bloody poppy seeds makes up 400g!? Actually I had 300g. The other 100 ended up on the floor, the cat and my feet as my packet-opening technique was rather too forceful. I was totally underwhelmed by the whole recipe - the pastry didn't work either, being far too crumbly. Maybe I didn't roll it out thin enough but I only have the one baking tray and it had to fit.
Why a Polish cake in the first place? I have several Polish friends and wanted to make something suitably 'ethnic' - Anna seemed to enjoy it and was either very hungry or genuinely thought it was good. But I haven't heard back from Lukasz and Ola.. which is a bit of a worry.
Why a Polish cake in the first place? I have several Polish friends and wanted to make something suitably 'ethnic' - Anna seemed to enjoy it and was either very hungry or genuinely thought it was good. But I haven't heard back from Lukasz and Ola.. which is a bit of a worry.
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Comments
The traditional makoweic I've had has been a bread more than a cake, and I have had good results with brioche dough. The ingredients look pretty weird in your recipe too, I've never heard of using rum or eggwhites. Maybe one of your friends can offer an alternate recipe :) I just wish I still had mine!
Scribbled down by: suvana on July 31, 2006 6:12 PM
That is really interesting Suvana; one of my Polish pals mentioned that the pastry was wrong. Maybe they can come up with something more realistic; it didn't stop them eating it all mind.
I did hear back from Lukasz - he was diplomatic but I don't think he was that impressed!
Scribbled down by: Andrew on July 31, 2006 9:45 PM
Poppyseed rolls are popular back home in Estonia, too, though we tend to use yeast dough. It's very kind of you to try to make something Polish for your Polish friends:)
PS Thanks for reminding me to go and find that half a packet of poppyseeds _somewhere_ in my cupboard and use them before I move back home!
Scribbled down by: Pille on August 7, 2006 11:29 PM
I have been sent a more interesting recipe that (as soon as I get a cooker again) I will be attempting...
Scribbled down by: Andrew on August 8, 2006 7:09 AM
I imagine you've found a better recipe by now or moved on, but I received the following recipe from a Polish woman I know (although the makowiec she made was slightly different, but delicious). It calls for 450g of poppyseed. And rum, and egg whites:
http://www.annamariavolpi.com/makowiec.html
Scribbled down by: Mary on January 20, 2007 10:41 PM
The recipe about for poppy seed filling as well as others require boiling the whole seed to soften it and then either put the soften seed through a sieve or a food mill. I have found that grinding the dry seed through a seed grinder before cooking or buying ground seed works as well if not better, since the seed is easier to work with when dry.
Also you can merely boil (not fry) the ground poppy seed with milk and sugar and/or honey and butter without adding the nuts, currents and orange peel. This method requires simmering the poppy seed mixture slowly for about 1 hour or unit it has thickened to the consistency of peanut butter.
I have found that this produces a poppy seed filling which is identical to what my Polish baker part of my family made. You can follow the recipe above and it will produce excellent results but it is more complicated.
Scribbled down by: Charlie on January 12, 2009 5:21 AM