Poppyseed Cheesecake

⏱ 125 mins 🍽 Serves 10 🌶 eastern european ✅ Easy 🏷 Dessert

This traditional Polish poppyseed cheesecake is a showstopping dessert. It begins with a chilled shortcrust pastry base, which is baked until golden. A rich filling combines ground poppy seeds with a light, fluffy mixture of curd cheese, butter, sugar, and whipped egg whites. After baking, the cooled cake is finished with a simple dark chocolate ganache drizzle. It serves 10 people and requires just over 2 hours to prepare and bake.

Poppyseed Cheesecake

Ingredients

  • 325g plain flour
  • 5g baking powder
  • 125g icing sugar
  • 125g butter plus extra for the tin
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 250g poppy seeds
  • 5 eggs 4 separated
  • 40g breadcrumbs plus extra for the tin
  • 125g butter plus extra for the tin
  • 30g caster sugar
  • 1kg curd cheese
  • 80g vanilla pudding (or use cornflour plus 1 tsp vanilla extract)
  • 1/2 tsp almond essence or extract
  • 100g dark chocolate
  • 50ml double cream

Method

  1. Combine the base ingredients and knead them into a dough, adding a little water if necessary. Wrap the dough and refrigerate it for 1 hr.
  2. Preheat your oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Grease a 25cm cake tin with butter and dust it with breadcrumbs. Roll the chilled dough to fit the tin and press it into the base, then prick it all over with a fork. Bake for 10-15 minutes and allow it to cool completely.
  3. Combine the poppy seeds with one whole egg and the breadcrumbs. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar until pale. Beat in the egg yolks, then gradually mix in the curd cheese. Stir in the almond essence and vanilla pudding (or cornflour and vanilla extract). Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form and fold them gently into the cheese mixture. Spread the poppy seed mix over the cooled base, then top with the cheese mixture, smoothing it evenly. Bake for 50mins-1 hour and let it cool.
  4. To make the chocolate ganache, break the dark chocolate into pieces and place it with the double cream in a bowl. Melt gently in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water until smooth. Drizzle the sauce over the fully cooled cheesecake.

Nutrition (per serving)

Nutrition data not available.

Recipe details

Skill levelEasy
CategoryDessert
Cuisineeastern european