Poppy seed symbolizes luck and prosperity in Polish culture.
It's a staple ingredient in many Slavic and Balkan countries.
I hope you enjoy this sweet, fragrant and gorgeous looking cake.
INGREDIENTS:
*filling
200g poppy seed
2c water
60g dried fruit and nut mix
such as dried figs, candied peel, dried currants, raisins and pistachios
120g honey
40g butter, melted
*dough
500g all purpose flour
70g sugar
25g fresh yeast
60g unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
pinch of salt
250g warm milk
*egg-wash
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
*glaze
1/2c powdered sugar
2-3 tsp hot water
2-3 drops orange essential oil
METHOD:
1. Make filling. Put poppy seeds in saucepan, add water, bring to boil and cook on low for 20 min. Drain and let cool completely.
2. Finely chop 60g of dried fruit and nuts.
3. Grind poppy seeds twice, add fruit/nut mix, honey and melted butter. Mix well.
4. Make dough. Add yeast to warm milk. Mix in 1 tbsp sugar and a few tbsp flour. Cover and let rest for 15min. Add yeast mixture and other remaining dough ingredients to flour. Knead by hand or using a mixer with a dough hook. Cover, set aside until it doubles in volume.
5. Draw a 10" circle on parchment, draw another 10" circle on wax paper.
6. Divide dough into 4 portions and the filling into 3 portions. Roll out the first portion of dough onto parchment, using circle as your guide. Spread 1/3 of the filling onto the dough.
7. Roll out the second portion of dough onto wax paper, transfer it to cover the filling on the first circle, peel off wax paper. Spread another 1/3 of filling on top. Roll out the third portion of dough onto wax paper, transfer, peel off the paper and spread remaining filling on top. Roll out the final dough circle to cover the filling.
8. Using a round object such as a glass or a jar, mark the center of cake by pressing lightly.
Using a sharp knife cut cake into 16 slices (8 pairs) around the circle. Leave the center uncut. Using your hands, twist a pair of adjacent slices toward each other, twice then seal the endings by pressing them together. Continue twisting the pairs and sealing the ends all around the cake, forming a star.
9. Brush with eggs wash and bake at 350F for about 35min.
10. Combine powdered sugar, water and essential oil, or lemon zest and glaze the cake.
Smacznego!
If you like the Polish pottery I use in my videos, here are some of my favorite picks:
https://amzn.to/35PhtXS
https://amzn.to/35OYLj4
https://amzn.to/3NV6InZ
https://amzn.to/3LN1GIC
https://amzn.to/3DSaMkD
https://amzn.to/37oVeZi
My mixer:
https://amzn.to/3rczKWK
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Time-stamps:
00:00 Pretty Poppy Seed Star
00:07 How to Cook Poppy Seed
00:46 What to Add to Poppy Seed Filling
00:59 Making Your Own Blend of Dried Fruit and Nuts
01:25 How to Grind Poppy Seeds
01:49 Poppy Seed Filling Ingredients
02:20 Sweet Yeast Dough Ingredients
02:41 How to Activate Fresh Yeast
03:22 Mixing Sweet Yeast Dough
04:07 Preparing Wax Paper and Parchment Circles
04:39 How to Divide Yeast Dough
05:22 How to Roll Out Yeast Dough
05:39 Adding Poppy Seed Filling
06:07 How to Assemble Poppy Seed Star Cake
07:26 How to Shape Poppy Seed Star Cake
08:35 How to Twist Babka Dough
09:11 How to Egg Wash a Cake
10:05 Preparing a Glaze For a Cake
11:04 Tasting Gorgeous Star Shaped Poppy Seed Cake