Here is an easy recipe for Czech poppy seed cake with lemon icing. In the Czech Republic, we call it Makovec. Today, I will show you how to make this delicious, traditional dessert from scratch.
➜ What is Makovec?
Makovec is a traditional Czech poppy seed cake made from ground poppy seeds. Lemon icing is topped over the surface, and it gives the makovec a perfect tangy flavor.
The cake is baked in a flat rectangular sheet pan with higher rims.
➜ Pronunciation
I recorded a short audio clip on how to pronounce the Czech word "makovec".
➜ Ingredients
You'll need a few simple ingredients for the poppy seed batter and lemon icing. Plus, some fat/butter and sifted breadcrumbs to grease and flour a sheet pan.
Poppyseed Batter
To make Czech loupacek, you will need:
- Poppyseeds; if you can't buy poppy seeds already ground, there is an option to grind them at home in an electric coffee grinder
- All-purpose flour
- Vegetable oil
- Egg
- Baking powder
- Milk
- Granulated sugar
✅ You'll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
Lemon Icing
Makovec recipe calls for simple lemon icing without butter. Grab just these two common ingredients:
- Icing sugar
- Lemon juice, freshly pressed
➜ Instructions with Photos
Makovec is very easy to make. You can serve the finished cake on a table in less than one hour.
STEP 1: Before you start baking, grease and flour a sheet pan. Pre-heat oven to 340 °F (170 °C).
STEP 2: In a large mixing bowl, crack an egg, add the vegetable oil and granulated sugar (photo 1). Mix with a hand-held kitchen mixer for 3 minutes (photo 2).
STEP 3: In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, poppy seeds, and baking powder. Add them to the egg mixture. Add milk and mix everything using a mixer on low speed until a semi-liquid batter is created.
STEP 4: Pour and spread the batter evenly into prepared pan.
STEP 5: Bake for 30 minutes. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the cake center. If there are none or only a few crumbs on the toothpick, then the cake is finished.
STEP 6: Set the baked cake aside. Meantime, make a smooth lemon icing. To achieve this, mix the sifted icing sugar with freshly pressed lemon juice. If the lemon icing is too runny, add more icing sugar. Or add some lemon juice if the icing is too thick.
STEP 7: Drizzle the lemon icing over the warm cake and spread it with a tablespoon.
STEP 8: Allow the cake to cool down completely in the pan. Slice and serve as a dessert or a coffee cake.
➜ Cook's Tips
- The lemon icing is loaded with lemon flavor. It's a fantastic topping for this Czech-style poppy seed cake. Without lemon icing, the cake wouldn't be complete. For the best result, use freshly pressed lemon juice.
- Use whichever 10x15 inch (25x37 cm) baking pan with higher rims. The cake will rise while baked because of the baking powder's content.
- My extra tip: For more juiciness, add a handful of soaked raisins into poppy seed batter.
➜ FAQs
In the Czech Republic, we use a special poppy seed grinder. You can also grind poppy seeds in an electric coffee grinder. Be aware and don't over-grind the poppy seeds. The final texture should resemble vet grit.
No, this cake can be made with ground poppy seeds only.
More poppy seed recipes:
- Loupáčky - sweet crescent rolls
- Škubánky s mákem
- Maková náplň - poppyseed filling for sweet pastry
📖 Recipe
Poppy Seed Cake - Czech Makovec
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
Poppy seed batter:
- 1 cup ground poppy seeds
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup sunflower oil (or canola)
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 ⅓ cups milk
- butter and sifted breadcrumbs to grease and dust a sheet pan
Lemon icing:
- 1 ½ cups icing sugar sifted
- 4 Tablespoons lemon juice freshly pressed
Instructions
- Before you start cooking: Grease a sheet pan with a knob of butter and dust it with 2 Tablespoons of flour. Preheat te oven to
340 °F. - In a large mixing bowl, crack 1 egg, add ⅓ cup sunflower oil and 1 cup granulated sugar. Mix with a hand-held kitchen mixer for 3 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup ground poppy seeds, and 1 Tablespoon baking powder. Add the mixture to the beaten egg. Pour in 1 ⅓ cups milk and mix everything using a hand mixer on low speed until a semi-liquid batter is created.
- Pour and spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the cake center. The tooth stick needs to come out clean, or with a few crumbs stuck to the tooth stick, then the cake is finished.
- Set the baked cake aside. Meantime, make a smooth lemon icing. To achieve this, mix 1 ½ cups icing sugar with freshly pressed 4 Tablespoons lemon juice. Drizzle the lemon icing over warm cake and spread it using a reverse side of tablespoon.
- Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan. Slice and serve as a dessert or a coffee cake.
Notes
- Makes 12-16 pieces.
- Use whichever 10x15 inch (25x37 cm) baking pan with higher rims. The cake will rise while baked because of the baking powder's content.
- The lemon icing is loaded with lemon flavor. It's a fantastic topping for this Czech-style poppy seed cake. Without this lemon icing, the cake wouldn't be complete. For the best result, use freshly pressed lemon juice.
- EXTRA TIP: For more juiciness, add a handful of raisins to the poppy seed batter.
Petr says
Pěkně jste to napsala, je hezké, že propagujete zdravou stravu ve světě. 🙂
Petra says
Petře, děkuji za komentář 🙂
Lisa says
Can't wait to try out this recipe. Sounds really good!
Petra Kupská says
Thank you and good luck! I believe you will love this cake; just please, do not skip the sugar lemon glaze!
Stacey says
Really love the recipe and it is so easy to make. Everyone loved it!
Thank you for sharing the recipe online!
Petra Kupská says
My pleasure! 🙂
patricia says
Hi Petra,
Do you think I could use this recipe for muffins, rather than a cake?
Thanks,
Patricia
Petra Kupská says
Hi Patricia, I can imagine this recipe as muffins, too. Please do not forget the glaze of icing sugar and lemon juice; without it, the recipe would not be complete!
Adam says
Amazing recipe, very light and airy. It was especially flavourful now that I have managed to grind the poppy seeds correctly.
It was gone in an instant, not even time to say dobrou chuť!
Dekukji moc.
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
Thank you for the nice comment, Adam. I am very happy to hear that!
Judy says
I baked in a 9x13 pan, turned out perfect. Added zest from the squeezed lemon and a bit of salt to the batter. Wonderful and unusual coffee cake
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
Thank you for your comment and feedback, Judy.
Greetings from the Czech Republic.
cori says
can I replace the poppy with ground chia?
Petra Kupská says
Oh, I have never tried that, so I am sorry I cannot help.
Carol says
I am going to make this recipe but I see in first instruction breadcrumbs sifted to dust the sheet pan and I see no mention of breadcrumbs again in instruction or anywhere else. I am wondering if this was error, is this sometimes used to dust pan instead of flour?I want this to turn out as authentic as possible, so please tell me about this.
Petra | Cook Like Czechs says
Hi Carol! Thank you for your message! When it comes to dusting the baking dish, you can use breadcrumbs (which is my usual go-to) or flour. Just be sure to shake out any excess before pouring in the poppy seed batter. Alternatively, you can line the dish with baking paper—any of these methods will work beautifully and still deliver that authentic poppy seed cake flavor! I appreciate your feedback and will review the recipe to clear up any confusion. Happy baking!
Miriam says
riquísima! está clara la receta
Jennifer M says
This recipe looks delicious. I have a question before I try it out... The recipe calls for 1 cup "ground poppy seeds". Do I measure one cup of poppy seeds and grind them? Or, do I grind them, and then measure? My instinct tells me, that in Czechoslovakia, pre-ground poppy seeds are probably common, and I need to grind them first. Thanks for any help you can give me, and thank you for the amazing recipe!
Suzanne RN says
I have baked this delicious poppyseed cake several times! it is so moist and wonderful with a cup of tea or coffee! The lemon glaze/icing on top is delicious too!
Anicka says
Mila Petro, miluju makovec, nejsem, ale 100 pro spokojena s zadnym mym receptem, proto jsem zkusila ten Vas. Je BOZI. Diky za nej!!!
Petra Kupská says
Tak to mě nesmírně těší, že vám chutná a jste s ním spokojená.
Přeji příjemné pečení.
Kochka says
I have not eaten this since I was 13 years old. My favorite desert from Grandma Kochka💓💓💓. It’s just perfect!