Mohnkuchen mit Eierdecke (German Poppy Seed Cake) Recipe

German Poppy Seed Cake - Mohnkuchen mit Eierdecke

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 50 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Total: 110 mins
Servings: 12 to 16 servings

This poppy seed cake or "pie" recipe is synthesized from several recipes. It has a cookie crust, poppy seed filling, and a baked, sour cream topping. All ingredients can be easily found in the U.S., and the cake is completely made from scratch, no funny pouches of premade filling.

Ingredients

Crust:

  • 14 tablespoons (200 grams) cold salted butter

  • 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar

  • 4 tablespoons orange zest

  • 2 large egg yolks, whisked with 2 tablespoons water

Poppy Seed Filling:

  • 2 cups (500 milliliters) milk

  • 1/3 cup (50 grams) farina, such as Cream of Wheat

  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup (50 grams) sugar

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 1 cup (150 grams) poppy seeds, ground

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Sour Cream Topping:

  • 4 large egg whites

  • 1 cup (250 milliliters) sour cream

  • 1/2 cup (125 milliliters) sweet cream

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons (20 grams) all-purpose flour

  • 1/3 cup (75 grams) sugar

  • Several drops of lemon extract, or pure vanilla extract, to taste

Steps to Make It

Make the Crust

  1. Gather crust ingredients.

    crust ingredients

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Cut butter into flour, sugar, and orange zest until pea-sized crumbs form.

    Cut butter into flour, sugar, and orange zest in the bowl

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Quickly mix in the egg yolk-water mixture and form a smooth ball, without kneading too much.

    crust dough ball in a bowl

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

    dough ball wrapped in plastic wrap

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Make the Filling

  1. Gather filling ingredients.

    filling ingredients

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Bring milk, sugar, and vanilla extract to a boil.

    Bring milk, sugar, and vanilla to a boil in a pot

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Remove from heat, pour in farina, stirring constantly, then poppy seeds.

    farina and poppy seeds added to the milk mixture in the pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Place back on heat and boil again, briefly.

    farina poppy mixture in a saucepan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool down.

    filling mixture in a pot

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  6. When still warm, stir in butter until melted. Set aside to reach room temperature.

    butter added to the filling in the saucepan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Make the Topping

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    topping ingredients

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

    beat egg whites in a bowl, hand mixer

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Mix remaining sour cream topping ingredients together until smooth.

    sour cream topping ingredients together in a bowl

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Fold in half of the beaten egg whites to the sour cream mixture.

    Fold in half of the beaten egg whites to the sour cream mixture

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Fold the remaining egg whites into the cooled poppy seed mixture.

    Fold the remaining egg whites into the cooled poppy seed mixture in a saucepan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Assemble the Cake

  1. Gather all prepared ingredients.

    german poppy seed cake ingredients

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Divide dough in half.

    dough pieces on plastic wrap

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Roll one half of the dough out into an 11-inch circle and cut to fit the bottom of 11-inch springform pan.

    rolled out dough on a floured surface, cut into a circle

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Place dough into bottom of springform pan.

    crust dough in a cake pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Roll out one quarter of the dough (half of the remaining half of dough) into a rope and then flatten into a 1- or 1 1/2-inch rim.

    dough rope

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Press around the bottom edge of the springform and attach to the other dough with a little water.

    dough rope in the cake pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  7. Repeat with final quarter of dough, pressing into sides of pan and attaching together with a bit of water as needed.

    cake crust dough in the cake pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  8. Trim crust evenly for a nice presentation.

    cake crust trimmed in the cake pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  9. Fill crust with poppy seed filling and then top with sour cream filling.

    Fill crust with poppy seed filling and then top with sour cream filling

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  10. Bake at 350 F for 50 to 60 minutes or until cake is browned and firmly set.

    German Poppy Seed Cake - Mohnkuchen mit Eierdecke in a cake pan on a cooling rack

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
352 Calories
22g Fat
33g Carbs
7g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12 to 16
Amount per serving
Calories 352
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22g 28%
Saturated Fat 11g 56%
Cholesterol 83mg 28%
Sodium 144mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 33g 12%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 18g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 2mg 12%
Calcium 201mg 15%
Iron 2mg 11%
Potassium 182mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)