Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

In Central Europe, where I grew up, using poppy seeds in desserts is as common as pumpkin purée or cream cheese in the States. 

And I’m not talking about adding a teaspoon to a muffin batter here or sprinkling some on top of a bagel there. 

Poppy seeds are the main attraction, the key ingredient, and the reason that drew you to eat that particular item in the first place.

Across Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and Slovakia, you can easily buy delicious baked items with speckled, denim-colored poppy seed fillings, in various shapes (cakes, individual rolls, crescents and spirals) and made from all kinds of dough (brioche, phyllo, Danish). 

This traditional Czech bundt cake is moist and airy, and at the same time, pleasantly dense and rich. 

How to grind poppy seeds in a coffee grinder

Because ground poppy seeds are not typically sold in America, you will probably have to do it yourself. But fear not: All you need is a coffee grinder (electric or manual). 

Forget the tiny, one-ounce jars of poppy seeds in the supermarket spice section. You would need a lot of those, and it would cost you a fortune. 

Instead, buy your seeds in bulk. Many online sources sell high-quality, organic seeds. 

When you’re ready, place about three or four tablespoons into a coffee grinder, and grind until their color changes to dark blue and the texture feels like wet sand. 

I use my electric coffee grinder, shaking it up and down lightly, so that all seeds grind evenly. 

Process only the quantity used in the recipe, because they become stale very quickly.

PS: Bundt cakes are amazing and such show stoppers. Here’s another recipe from my friend Ben:

Walnut Cinnamon Bundt Cake

Now you.

Do you use poppy seeds when you bake? How?

Tell me in the comments.

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