Apparently, John III Sobieski ordered baking poppy seed cake with the image of his beloved Marysieńka, and Stanisław August Poniatowski received a 4 m long poppy seed cake as a gift. Poppy seed cake is one of those cakes that are most often baked once a year during Christmas. Right next to kutia, it is the only traditional baked goods using poppy seeds – a plant with rich symbolism.
The Christmas Eve supper in Polish culture is full of symbols and small customs that are supposed to bring prosperity for the next year. It is not without reason that everyone tries to make this dinner perfect in every respect, so that everything works out, because what happens on Christmas Eve will last all year long. it is the ingredient that is supposed to ensure harvest, fertility and peaceful sleep. However, its symbolism goes much deeper, even to another world.
Christmas Eve is an important holiday in the Christian religion, but the period in which it is celebrated was also important to pre-Christian cultures. It was then that Slavic and Germanic tribes had their holidays in honor of the sun gods. The numerous rituals and fortune-telling performed then were supposed to ensure prosperity for the next year, and the souls of the deceased were supposed to help them.
Poppy is an extraordinary plant. Its seeds can remain dormant for up to 80 years. In Christianity, it was believed that poppies grew in places where the blood of the crucified Christ fell to the ground. In turn, pagan peoples they considered it a plant that connects the world of the dead with the world of the living.
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On Christmas Eve, our ancestors also invited deceased family members to the table. It was for them that an additional covering was placed. The lit candles on the table were supposed to help the souls reach the table, a poppy seeds were supposed to be a delicacy for them.
Today, it’s hard to imagine Christmas Eve without delicious poppy seed cake. There are many recipes for this unique cake. They are usually baked in one yeast dough This holiday season, we offer a version with shortcrust pastry. It is faster and easier to prepare.
There is always a lot to do before Christmas: cleaning, preparing gifts, decorating the Christmas tree and cooking 12 Christmas Eve dishes. No wonder that sometimes there is no time to bake traditional poppy seed cake. This year you can serve your guests a modern version of this dessert made with shortcrust pastry. This one is faster to prepare and equally or maybe even tastier.
Ingredients for the cake:
- 400 g of wheat flour,
- 100 g of powdered sugar (2 tablespoons for sprinkling),
- 200 g butter (chilled),
- 2 yolks.
Ingredients for the poppy seed mass:
- 500 g ground poppy seeds,
- about ½ l of hot water or milk,
- 3-4 tablespoons of honey (to taste),
- 100 g of butter,
- 100 g sugar,
- 5 eggs,
- 1 vanilla pod.
Preparation:
- Pour flour and powdered sugar onto the board. Put the butter on it and cut it into cubes. Then add the yolks and knead the dough.
- Divide the dough into 3 parts – one should be slightly smaller. Wrap the dough in foil and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Pour hot water or hot milk over the poppy seeds and set aside to cool. After this time, drain excess liquid.
- Place one of the larger portions of dough into a 24 cm diameter cake tin. Prick them with a fork and put in the oven preheated to 180 degrees Celsius. Bake for 10-15 minutes and remove from the oven to cool.
- Melt the butter in a pot and add honey. Cool and add to the poppy seeds.
- Separate the whites from the yolks. Grind the yolks with sugar and add the seeds from the vanilla pod. Beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the yolks to the poppy seed mixture and then combine everything with the whipped egg whites.
- Roll out a smaller portion of the dough and line the edges of the cake tin with it. Then pour the poppy seed mixture onto the dough and cover with the last portion of shortcrust pastry. Connect the edges of the dough and gently prick the top layer.
- Bake the cake in the oven at 170 degrees Celsius for 50-55 minutes.
You can sprinkle the cake with dust before serving lightly with powdered sugar. Enjoy your meal.
Source: Terazgotuje.pl, kontakter.pl
