Yeast Bundt Cake with Poppy Seed Filling

For a unique twist on classic bundt cakes, try this Czech bundt cake with homemade poppy seed filling. The soft yeast dough and rich poppy seed flavor will delight your taste buds!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Czech

Keyword Poppy seed recipes

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1

Rising time 1 45

Total Time 3 15

Servings slices

Calories 218kcal

Author Petra Kupská

Equipment

12-cup bundt pan

Ingredients

Yeast dough:

4 cups all-purpose flour
½ Tablespoon active dry yeast
4 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup lukewarm milk
½ stick unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla paste (or vanilla extract)
2 yolks

Poppy seed filling:

7 ounces ground poppy seed
1 cup milk
4 Tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla paste (or vanilla extract)
3 cloves ground
1 Tablespoon lemon zest freshly ground

Miscellaneous:

2 Tablespoons powdered sugar to sprinkle the cake before serving
1 Tablespoon solid fat to grease the bundt pan
2 Tablespoons breadcrumbs or flour, to dust the bundt pan

Cups - Metric

Instructions

Make a yeast starter: Heat 1 cup lukewarm milk to about 110 °F. Stir in one tablespoon of sugar and ½ Tablespoon active dry yeast. Leave in a warm place. In about 10–15 minutes, light brown foam with bubbles should form on the milk surface.
Start making a yeast dough: Heat ½ stick unsalted butter in the microwave for 30 seconds or melt it on the stovetop. The butter cannot be hot! In a large mixing bowl, add 4 cups all-purpose flour, melted butter, 2 yolks, ½ teaspoon vanilla paste, ¼ teaspoon salt, the rest of 4 Tablespoon granulated sugar, and the yeast starter.
Knead the dough smooth. First, use a wooden spoon to mix the dry and wet ingredients in a bowl. Once the dough becomes crumbly, transfer it to a floured work surface. Knead by hand until it forms a soft, slightly sticky dough. If it sticks too much, sprinkle with flour and continue kneading. The entire kneading process takes about 10 minutes and requires some physical effort if done by hand.
Let the dough rise for an hour in a warm place or until it doubled in size.
In the meantime, make poppyseed filling. Pour 1 cup milk into a saucepan and add7 ounces ground poppy seed, 4 Tablespoons granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla paste, 1 Tablespoon lemon zest (grated), and 3 cloves (ground). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let the poppy seed filling cool completely.
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.
Fold the dough over the filling from both sides. Basically, you create a simple roll.
Prepare your bundt cake pan. Carefully grease the inside with 1 Tablespoon solid fat (e.g. Crisco) and dust with fine, taste-neutral 2 Tablespoons breadcrumbs or flour.
Place the filled, folded dough into the prepared bundt pan, ensuring it fills the pan evenly. Let it sit for the second rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 °F 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.

Notes

Makes about 16-20 pieces, depending on their size.
Removing the cake from 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 icing sugar. Cut into individual pieces and serve on a dessert plate with coffee or tea.
TIP ON MAKING YEAST DOUGH: If you have a stand kitchen mixer with kneading attachments or a bread machine, feel free to use them to process the dough.
How to help the poppy seed filling cool: 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.

Nutrition