Poppy Seed Bábovka is one of many Czech poppy seed based recipes. It’s easy to make and it impresses with its taste and looks.
Bábovka is a kind of sponge cake baked in a special pan. It’s a Czech dessert, although similar cakes can be found in other countries. To give you some examples, the Bundt cake is similar in shape (bundt pan can be used for baking bábovka). And the same goes for pound cake.
I have shared with you this 1920s recipe and since many of the readers mentioned that their favorite was the poppy seed bábovka, I think the next one should be just this. It is also one of the favorites of our family, just like so many other desserts with poppy seed. Maybe you know that poppy seed is a common ingredient in the Czech Republic and not just in desserts but also in bread such as Loupáčky, Cheese crackers, Housky and even Rohlíky.
Ingredients and supplies
- Bábovka pan
- 2 cups of semi-coarse flour (see Czech flour Guide)
- 1 package of baking powder, which is approx. 13 g/0.5 oz
- 1 package of vanilla sugar, which is approx. 8 g/0.3 oz
- 1 cup of ground poppy seed
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup of milk
- 1/2 cup of oil
- 2 eggs
- powder sugar to sprinkle the cake when it’s done
- oil + coarse flour or bread crumbs to coat the pan
Poppy Seed Bábovka Recipe
Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks and whisk the whites until they’re solid. Set aside for a short while.
Whisk the egg yolks with the eggs, add oil. In another bowl, mix all the dry ingredients and then add them to the egg mixture little by little and alternating with milk. Incorporate the whisked egg whites slowly.
Coat the bábovka pan well with oil and coarse flour so the batter doesn’t stick to the pan.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F, pour the batter in the pan and bake for 45 minutes.
Flip the pan upside down, the cake should slide out. Let bábovka cool down and sprinkle with powder sugar.
Do you know how I love to eat this cake? With a scoop of povidla 😉
