Tort Makowy (Poppy Seed Cake

My mother would make this cake usually at Christmas and Easter. Poppy seeds are very popular in Poland and we would have many different cakes with poppy seeds in them, but this one is indulging all-out on them and I love it!

Preparation Time: 45 minutes–1 hour Cooking Time: 1 hour 10 minutes Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 300g poppy seeds

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0.25kg butter • 450g powdered sugar (or less sugar—down to 100g) • 9 eggs • 9 tbsp semolina (kasza manna) 1 ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp almond flavouring oil 600g cider apples (optional—raisins and small pieces of walnuts)

Method

1. Separate the eggs. Put whites into a bowl and set aside.

2.

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9. Cream the butter, custard, sugar, and egg yolks.

Put the poppy seeds in a pot and pour a small amount of boiling water (or milk) over it and brew for about half an hour, then grind twice (best by hand-grinder, like one used for mincing meat).

Finely grate the apples.

Gradually add the poppy seeds and apples to the creamed mass, then the baking powder.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Mix the whites gently with a spatula into the mixture – try not to deflate the whites.

Add almond flavouring and optionally raisins and nuts.

Pour the mixture into a round baking pan and level.

Bake for approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes in an oven heated at 250°C. 10. Cool for 30 minutes. 11. You can top it with a chocolate glaze (I prefer dark chocolate).

About Barbara

“I came to visit a friend from my church in Poland who was studying for a year at Queen’s University Belfast. It was during the Easter break in 1999 and little did I know the visit would lead to my return to Belfast five months later to do an MA in Theology via BBC (Belfast Bible College). All down to a wee dander on the north coast organised by the college lecturer and a chat with a walker who, as I was to find out later, was BBC’s Director of Studies.”

Two years later, just as I was thinking I quite enjoyed being single, another student came to the BBC and upset my plans so that the Belfast Bible College could live up to its secret name—Belfast Bridal College. We got married at Lisburn Civic Centre in June 2002. We went to live in Poland for a couple of years but decided to return to Northern Ireland in June 2005 and have lived here since then.

My husband, Salah, is originally from Iraq, near Ur, but he left Iraq in 1991 and after spending four years in Rafha refugee camp, was accepted by Canada. We have two sons, Aleksander, who was born in Poland, and Christopher, born in Northern Ireland. We do not have any other family members living here, but over the years we have made many good friends.

My husband is a trained army cook and he likes cooking. At home we take turns to cook, some Middle Eastern and some Polish dishes, but Easter and Christmas go entirely by Polish traditions and I am proud our sons are keen to help with the preparations. Ever since coming to Northern Ireland I have been involved in the Polish community and have helped to set up and run two Polish Saturday Schools in Belfast where children aged three to fifteen have the opportunity to develop their mother tongue and heritage language skills.

Northern Ireland is our home now and I only occasionally miss the sun and the warmth, as well as the snow, that I had in Poland. I personally don’t mind a walk in the rain, especially with friends, and it is always with a grateful heart that we build a snowman in winter or have a picnic under clear blue skies in the summer. I count as a blessing not being able to take things for granted.

>> Cooking playlist

I’ve picked five Polish songs I never tire listening to. The first one is a protest song from 1967 called ‘Dziwny jest ten świat’ (It is a Strange World). Some believe it got its inspiration from James Brown’s ‘It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World’. ‘Dni których jeszcze nie znamy’ (The Days, that are Still to Come) is an example of sung poetry – a popular genre in Poland. The third is a jazz hit, ‘Papaya’, where the singer’s voice sounds like an instrument. It has a catchy beat and became a worldwide hit in 1971. The fourth is ‘Ale Jestem’ (But I Am) about the meaning of life, and finally, a beautiful song about love called Psalm dla Ciebie (Psalm for You). You can find all the lyrics and their English translations on www.tekstowo.pl. Enjoy!

‘Dziwny jest ten świat’ by Czesław Niemen. ‘Dni których jeszcze nie znamy’ by Marek Grechuta

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‘Papaya’ by Urszula Dudziak • ‘Ale Jestem’ by Maria Anna Jopek • ‘Psalm dla Ciebie’ by Piotr Rubik