Czech Holiday Poppyseed Cake (buchta Makova)
Ingredients
- 2 envelopes yeast
- 1/4 cup lukewarm water
- 1 Tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 Cup sweet butter
- 8 egg yolks
- grated rind of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 Cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup browned sliced almonds chopped
- 2 cup ground poppy seed
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 3 cup flour sifted
- 5 egg whites beaten
- 2 tsp almond extract
- powdered sugar
Instructions
Have all ingredients at room temperature. Dissolve yeast in the lukewarm water with 1 Tbsp sugar. Cream the butter and beat in 1 egg yolk at a time. Add grated lemon rind, juice and salt. Warm the cream and beat into the mixture. Mix the almonds, poppy seed and brown sugar together. Sift the flour and measure it. Beat the egg whites until stiff and add the almond extract. Mix the yeast with the butter mixture then beat in all the prepared ingredients alternately, beating until light and resilient. Butter a 9 inch tube pan well. When the batter is well mixed pour it into the tube pan and set the tubepan in a dishpan of warn (not hot) water. Cover with a towel and allow to rise for 50 minutes until the dough is within an inch of the top of the pan. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake the cake for 5 minutes then turn down the oven to 375. (this is where it gets tricky-the book give no time for baking so you have to watch and wait for the top to spring back when touched with a finger) After removing from the oven let it stand a minute then run a knife around the sides to loosen. Turn out on plate and dust with powdered sugar.