Poppy Seed Cake | Vegan

Poppy seeds – in Germany they are hardly seen at least from what I can tell. I used to love poppy seed pastry and had one almost every day (maybe a bit too many haha). These days I really like to bake with poppy seeds and usually I go for a poppy seed streusel cake. This time I wanted to change things up a bit and bake a poppy seed cake – the experiment was a success!

Worth knowing: Poppy Seeds

Poppy is one of the oldest crop plants of the world. These days it is mostly cultivated in Asia. In Germany you can find poppy seeds in organic supermarkets or in regular supermarkets in the baking section. Usually you can buy whole poppy seeds or ground poppy seeds (usually blue poppy). The myth about the intoxicating effect is not true in this case – all poppy seeds available in Germany are absolutely harmless.

Ground poppy seeds should always be used relatively quickly since they tend to become rancid quite quickly due to the oil they naturally contain. Whole poppy seeds can be stored longer.

There are different types of poppy seeds: white, blue and grey poppy. In Austria usually grey poppy seeds are used, not only in sweet dishes but also in savory meals. Although I am a big fan of poppy one should avoid eating too much of it when it is still raw. It naturally contains morphine which can be harmful to health when consumed in big amounts. However, when cooking or baking poppy seeds the morphine content is reduced so there is no reason for worrying!

How poppy seed cake tastes most delicious

The good thing about the cake is that it is not too sweet. You can have it with a nice cup of tea or coffee or enjoy a slice for breakfast with some delicious homemade jam on top. You will love it!

It is best to store the cake covered with some (reusable) cling foil – you can easily store it that way for a few days. You can also keep it in the fridge, however this is not necessary.

This cake is…

• vegan
• fluffy and moist
• perfect for poppy seed lovers
• ideal for a breakfast buffet
• nut-free
• sweetened with agave nectar

PS: if you’re looking for other cakes have a look at the baking section in the recipe index!

Print Pin

4.89 from 9 votes

Poppy Seed Cake

Keyword Cake, poppy seeds

Author Tanith Schmelzeisen

Ingredients

• 300 g ground poppy seeds
• 150 g almond flour
• 100 g spelt flour*
• 2 tsp corn starch
• 175 ml agave nectar**
• 400 ml oat milk
• 50 g coconut oil
• 1 package baking powder

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a baking tin with a bit of coconut oil.
• In a bowl combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Now add coconut oil, agave nectar and oat milk and stir until well combined. If the dough is too dry just add a little more oat milk.
• Pour the dough into the baking tin and bake in the oven for about 50 minutes. Make sure the surface doesn't burn and check with a tooth pick if the cake is ready.

Notes

*instead of using spelt flour you could also go for more almond flour or some gluten-free flour.

**Agave nectar can be substituted with any other kind of liquid sweetener.

Tipp: topping the cake off with some white chocolate coating will make it even more special!