Yeast Bundt Cake with Poppy Seed Filling

If you’re looking for a unique twist on classic bundt cakes, then this Czech bundt cake with a homemade poppy seed filling is the perfect recipe. The combination of soft yeast dough and luscious poppy seed flavor in one showstopping cake will have your taste buds jumping for joy!

➜ About the cake

Typically, when you hear about poppy seed cake, you envision a baked cake with poppy seeds incorporated into the batter. The cake in this recipe, however, is entirely different; it is made from yeast dough.

Raised dough is shaped into a rectangle and given a coat of poppy seed filling. Then, it is rolled into a log and baked in a bundt pan. The result is a nice, rich, and perfectly dense bundt cake with a great moisture level thanks to the filling.

➜ Maková bábovka - Czech pronunciation

The recipe comes from the Czech Republic, where this type of rolled cake is traditionally baked on weekends and for festive occasions. Its Czech name is "maková bábovka," where the word "maková" means "made with poppy seeds" and "bábovka" is a bundt cake!

I recorded a short audio clip with the word "maková bábovka." I am a native speaker, so you will hear the real Czech language.

MY TIP: Here you will find a recipe for a traditional Czech babovka bundt cake (without filling)

➜ Ingredients

I split the list of ingredients into two parts: the things you need to make the yeast dough and the items you need to make the poppy seed filling.

Equipment: This recipe is designed for a bundt cake pan with a volume of 12 cups, which corresponds to about 2.7 liters in metric units. I have a beautiful ceramic bundt pan that is absolutely stable and always produces a nice, regular shape of baked cake.

➜ How to make poppy seed bundt cake

STEP 1: Make a yeast starter: Heat the milk for the dough to about 110°F (43°C). Stir in one tablespoon of sugar and instant dry yeast. Leave in a warm place; in about 10–15 minutes, light brown foam with bubbles should form on the milk surface.

STEP 2: Start making a yeast dough: Heat the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds or melt it on the stovetop. The butter cannot be hot! In a large mixing bowl, add the flour (I recommend sifting it through a sieve beforehand), the melted butter, egg yolks, vanilla, salt, remaining sugar, and the yeast starter.

STEP 3: Knead the dough smooth. First, use a wooden spoon to mix the dry ingredients with the wet ones in a bowl. Once the dough has come together into a crumbly mass, turn it out onto a floured work surface.

Knead a soft dough that is a little sticky with your hands. If it sticks too much to your hands or the work surface, sprinkle it with a little flour and work it into the dough. 

The whole kneading process takes about 10 minutes and may require a bit of physical work if done by hand.

TIP: If you have a stand kitchen mixer with kneading attachments or a bread machine, feel free to use them to process the dough.

STEP 4: Let the dough rise for an hour in a warm place. I let the dough rise in an oven with a pot of hot water on the bottom and the door shut.

⤍ Learn how to make dough rise in the oven.

STEP 5: In the meantime, make poppyseed filling. Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the ground poppy seeds, sugar, vanilla, grated lemon zest, and crushed cloves. Learn how to crush cloves by hand.

Bring to a boil on the stove, then turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes, stirring every so often. Allow the poppy seed filling to cool completely.

TIP: Spread the filling as evenly as possible over the surface of a deep bowl. Every 10 minutes or so, give it a good stir. This will allow the poppy seed filling to cool more quickly.

Here are more details on how to make poppy seed filling

STEP 6: Roll out the dough into a 30x12-inch rectangle (50x30cm). The dough should not be overly thin! Spread the cooled poppy seed filling evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) around the edge free.

STEP 7: Fold the dough over the filling as you see in the pictures below. Basically, you create a simple roll.

STEP 8: Prepare your bundt cake pan. Carefully grease the inside with solid fat (e.g. Crisco) and dust with fine, taste-neutral breadcrumbs or flour. Learn in detail how to grease and dust a bundt pan

STEP 9: Put the folded dough with the filling into the prepared bundt pan so that it fills all the space around the pan evenly. Allow for a second rise in a warm place, this time for 45 minutes.

STEP 10: Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Bake the cake for 1 and ¼ hours. If it starts to turn golden brown on the surface near the end, cover loosely with foil.

➜ How to get bundt cake out of the pan

Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let it sit there for 15 to 20 minutes. Then put a cake platter or cutting board on top of the pan and flip it carefully over. If you have greased and floured the pan well before you placed the cake in it, the cake will spring right out.

➜ Serving

Before serving, dust the poppy seed bundt cake with powdered sugar. Cut into individual pieces and serve on a dessert plate with coffee or tea.

This poppy seed bundt cake tastes best the same day it is baked. However, even on the second and third day, it remains moist.

➜ Storage

• Room temperature: Let the bundt cake cool completely and keep it in a covered cake plate on the counter. If you don't have a cake plate, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Eat within three days.
• In the refrigerator: Cut the cooled bundt cake into pieces, place it in an airtight container, and put it in the fridge, where it will keep for about five to six days.
• In the fridge: I recommend freezing the cake whole, not sliced because the poppy seed filling could cause it to fall apart when thawing. Place the cake in an airtight container in the freezer, where it will last for at least three months.

More poppy seed recipes:

• Poppy seed cake (Czech makovec)
• Poppy seed roll
• Noodles wit poppy seed topping