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    Home » Desserts

    Czech Poppy Seed Cake – Makovec Recipe

    Published: Feb 12, 2021 · Modified: Jan 7, 2023 by Petra Kupská

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    This is an easy recipe for Czech poppy seed cake with lemon icing. We call it makovec here in the Czech Republic, and today I'll show you how to make this delicious, old-fashioned dessert from scratch. 

    makovec
    Table of Contents hide
    ➜ What is Makovec?
    ➜ Pronunciation
    ➜ Ingredients
    ➜ Instructions with Photos
    ➜ Cook's Tips
    ➜ FAQs
    Poppy Seed Cake – Czech Makovec

    ➜ 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

    poppy seed cake ingredients

    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
    lemon icing ingredients

    ➜ 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).

    floured banking pan

    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).

    egg and sugar mixture

    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.

    poppy seed batter

    STEP 4: Pour and spread the batter evenly into prepared pan.

    poppy seed cake before baking

    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.

    baked poppy seed cake

    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.

    lemon icing

    STEP 7: Drizzle the lemon icing over the warm cake and spread it with a tablespoon. 

    poppy seed cake with lemon icing

    STEP 8: Allow the cake to cool down completely in the pan. Slice and serve as a dessert or a coffee cake. 

    poppyseed cake makovec

    ➜ 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

    How to ground poppy seeds?

    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.

    Can I use whole poppy seeds?

    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
    poppy seed cake recipe

    Poppy Seed Cake – Czech Makovec

    This is a recipe for poppy seed cake with lemon icing. We call this cake makovec in the Czech Republic.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Icing:: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes
    Servings: 12 slices
    Calories: 306kcal
    Author: Petra Kupská
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Czech
    Keyword: Czech mák, poppyseed recipe

    Ingredients

    Poppy seed batter:

    • 1 cup ground poppy seeds (130 g)
    • 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
    • 1 egg
    • ⅓ cup vegetable oil (80 ml)
    • 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour (215 g)
    • 1 Tablespoon baking powder (13 g)
    • 1 ⅓ cups milk (320 ml)
    • butter and sifted breadcrumbs to grease and dust a sheet pan

    Lemon icing:

    • 1 ½ cup icing sugar (180 g) sifted
    • 4 Tablespoons lemon juice (60 ml) freshly pressed

    Instructions

    • Before you start baking, grease and flour a sheet pan. Pre-heat oven to 340 °F (170 °C).
    • In a large mixing bowl, crack an egg, add vegetable oil and granulated sugar. Mix with a hand-held kitchen mixer for 3 minutes.
    • In a separate bowl, whisk flour, poppy seeds, and baking powder. Add them to the beaten egg. Add milk and mix everything using a 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 sifted icing sugar with freshly pressed lemon juice. Drizzle the lemon icing over warm cake and spread it using a 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.
     

    DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:

    Conversion chart

    Nutritional Estimate pro portion

    Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 125mg | Potassium: 130mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 64IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 217mg | Iron: 2mg
    Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Petr

      February 20, 2021 at 3:12 pm

      5 stars
      Pěkně jste to napsala, je hezké, že propagujete zdravou stravu ve světě. 🙂

      Reply
      • Petra

        February 20, 2021 at 3:14 pm

        Petře, děkuji za komentář 🙂

        Reply
      • Lisa

        January 20, 2023 at 1:30 pm

        Can't wait to try out this recipe. Sounds really good!

        Reply
        • Petra Kupská

          January 21, 2023 at 9:54 am

          Thank you and good luck! I believe you will love this cake; just please, do not skip the sugar lemon glaze!

          Reply
    2. Stacey

      December 28, 2021 at 3:19 am

      5 stars
      Really love the recipe and it is so easy to make. Everyone loved it!
      Thank you for sharing the recipe online!

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        January 03, 2022 at 10:08 am

        My pleasure! 🙂

        Reply
    3. patricia

      December 19, 2022 at 7:10 am

      Hi Petra,
      Do you think I could use this recipe for muffins, rather than a cake?
      Thanks,
      Patricia

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        December 29, 2022 at 12:31 pm

        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!

        Reply

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    Hi there, I’m Petra, a self-taught home cook and a Czech mom of two teen boys with more than 20 years of cooking experience. I am here to share traditional recipes from the Czech Republic, a small country in the very heart of Europe.

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