Mennonite Girls Can Cook is a collection of recipes which were posted daily for a period of ten years from 2008 to 2018. We have over 3,000 delicious recipes that we invite you to try. The recipes can be accessed in our recipe file by category or you can use the search engine.

Recipe Search

Erna's Poppy Seed Cake


I got this recipe from my friend Erna, who makes fabulous German Pastries and is an excellent baker. This cake has a poppy seed cake base, a custard filling covered in chocolate. Delicious!

CAKE:
  • 3 eggs separated
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup oil
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 chopped nuts, any is fine but I used almonds
  • 1/2 cup poppy seeds
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  1. Separate egg yolks and egg whites
  2. beat whites until stiff peaks form
  3. beat eggs and sugar separately
  4. add oil to the egg yolks
  5. fold in the dry ingredients including nuts and vanilla
  6. gently fold in the egg white
  7. bake in a greased 9x13 pan for 30 min. @ 350
BUTTER ICING:
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup icing sugar
Spread evenly over cooled cake.

CHOCOLATE TOPPING:
  • 3 squares of semi-sweet chocolate melted with 2 tablespoons butter
  • Pour over top.
Add toasted almonds over top when chocolate is still wet, optional.

NOTE: It is best to cut the cake into desired serving pieces before the chocolate sets and is still soft. Keep cold, and is good right out of the freezer.
from the kitchen of
recipe file ,

22 comments:

  1. AgnesDecember 17, 2009 at 4:22 AM

    I love poppy seed in baking. Thanks for what looks like another winner.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnitaDecember 17, 2009 at 5:33 AM

    mmhmm I love poppy seeds, gret idea!

    ReplyDelete
  3. ~Lavender Dreamer~December 17, 2009 at 6:09 AM

    I would LOVE this and the frosting is so different and looks so good! WOW!

    ReplyDelete
  4. The imPerfect HousewifeDecember 17, 2009 at 7:58 AM

    I'm pretty sure I can taste that through the blog!!! Wow! For the middle layer, it says "1/2 cup incing sugar" - is that supposed to be icing sugar, like powdered sugar or is there really a thing called incing sugar because I'm totally clueless!!?? I really do want to make this!! YUM ~ ♥

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ruth's Photo BlogDecember 17, 2009 at 9:11 AM

    Oh that looks soooo good,especially since my tummy is growling right now.:)
    Blessings,Ruth

    ReplyDelete
  6. ellen b.December 17, 2009 at 9:18 AM

    Oh my that looks seriously good...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Gypsy HeartDecember 17, 2009 at 2:47 PM

    This cake looks luscious! I just found this blog and am I glad. Can't wait to read more and scan the recipes. I love to cook ~ bake especially. Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousDecember 17, 2009 at 2:50 PM

    Someone goofed the recipe for the custard was omitted. The picture looks great but the cake cannot be reproduced. :(

    ReplyDelete
  9. charlotte mgccDecember 17, 2009 at 4:47 PM

    Anonymous

    the custard is the icing part with the egg yolks, butter and icing sugar.
    then you pour over the melted chocolate.
    i believe the recipe is in order.

    just for info sake the cake always taste better the next day.

    i hope this explains things.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The imPerfect HousewifeDecember 17, 2009 at 6:12 PM

    I can't wait to try this!! Thanks so much for the clear-up and I'm guessing that icing sugar is powdered sugar. If that's wrong, just e-mail me (Sbams5@gmail.com) and I'll be on my merry way - I love it here!

    ReplyDelete
  11. BettyDecember 18, 2009 at 1:48 PM

    This looks so good..I love anything poppyseed!

    ReplyDelete
  12. TrishDecember 19, 2009 at 2:54 PM

    Just doing a bit of catching up and say...what a wonderful cake! I love poppyseed anything and this is a new twist to me! I am making it for the son's homecoming!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. CatHerderDecember 20, 2009 at 12:21 PM

    Just surfed in..love your blog..i WILL be trying that buffalo chix recipe you posted...just wanted to post, my hubbys favorite aunts name was Erna, its not a name you hear very often..thanks for reminding me of her this holiday season :-)....(she was quite the German baker as well!!!)

    ReplyDelete
  14. WhiteStoneDecember 21, 2009 at 3:30 PM

    oooh, Wow! This looks yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  15. TerriJanuary 31, 2010 at 10:55 AM

    so the custard is raw egg yolks?! I guess I won't be making this after all.

    ReplyDelete
  16. AnonymousMarch 8, 2011 at 12:56 PM

    This cake looks amazing, I would love to make it, but have never made a custard before. Do you cook the custard or is it done with raw eggs? Thanks in advance for clearing this up for me!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. charlotte mgccMarch 8, 2011 at 4:08 PM

    hello anonymous.....nope the eggs are raw and you just mix it like an icing. don't let that freak you out with raw eggs. but if you are uncomfortable with it just do it without. i have been using raw eggs in recipes for a long time and havn't had any concerns, but use your own judgment.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hay's AdventuresMay 2, 2011 at 1:46 PM

    I am so happy to have found this as my mom has a similar recipe but she wrote no instructions and just scratched out a list of ingredients. It was her favorite Mennonite recipe which she referred to as tweeties. This was her last baked good, she made for us to taste the weekend she was tragically killed in a car accidnt. thanks so much.
    Carlie

    ReplyDelete
  19. charlotte mgccMay 3, 2011 at 11:07 AM

    Haylie, I am glad that you have found the recipe that brings so many dear memories to you.
    I am so sorry for your loss.
    I have another recipe that is similar and instead of poppy seeds it has shaved chocolate in it.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Jessica Z.May 5, 2011 at 2:33 PM

    I am making this dessert today and don't know what to do with the custard. Do you cook it on the stove or just mix it? Should the butter be hard or melted? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  21. AnnelieseMay 5, 2011 at 10:18 PM

    Jessica, I'm sorry you did not get a reply on this in time, obviously ... but the custard is not a cooked custard. You beat the soft butter with the rest of the ingredients and spread it ... yes it's raw eggs ... so use your own discretion on that.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Melanie WiebeJuly 24, 2012 at 10:05 AM

    It's been 2 days and all I can think about is baking, baking, BAKING!! I need to get this out of my system and I JUST bought some poppyseeds and forgot to use them, so this is perfect. I've never had this cake before but I'm excited to give it a try!

    ReplyDelete

New comments are not allowed.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)