Name: Irresistible Grandma's Poppy Seed and Quark Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 150 ml lukewarm milk; 20 g fresh yeast; 80 g granulated sugar; 400 g semi-coarse or all-purpose flour; 80 g softened butter; 1 egg; a pinch of salt; 200 g ground poppy seeds; 100 g sugar; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; grated zest of 1 lemon; 150 ml milk; 500 g soft quark (curd cheese); juice of half a lemon; 20 g vanilla pudding powder; 1 egg yolk; 120 g sugar; 150 g all-purpose flour; 80 g powdered sugar; 80 g butter; 8 g vanilla sugar; 150 g apricot jam (for spreading over the poppy seed layer)

Preparation procedure

Dough: Dissolve the yeast with a little sugar in the mildly warm milk and let it proof for 10 minutes. In a bowl, mix the sponge with the remaining dough ingredients and knead into a smooth, elastic dough. Cover with a cloth and let rise for about 1 hour, until it doubles in volume.
Poppy seed filling: In a saucepan, combine the poppy seeds, sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest and milk. Heat and stir until the ingredients come together. Let cool.
Quark filling: In a bowl, combine the quark, lemon juice, pudding powder, egg yolk and sugar. Put the filling in the refrigerator.
Crumb topping: Use your fingers to mix the flour, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla sugar until crumbly.
Assembling the cake: Roll out the risen dough to fit the size of the pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. First spread the quark layer evenly, then the poppy seed layer. Brush the poppy seed layer with apricot jam and sprinkle with the crumb topping.
Baking: Bake in an oven preheated to 180 °C for approximately 30–40 minutes, until the surface turns golden. After removing, let cool slightly and then cut into portions.

Preparation time and number of servings

Active work: approx. 30 minutes
Proofing + baking: approx. 1 hour 30 minutes
Total time: around 2 hours
Servings: approx. 12

Conclusion

This Grandma’s poppy seed and quark cake delivers a harmony of flavors – the pungent poppy seeds, delicate quark and the sweet jam layer form a powerful combination. It’s ideal for family celebrations and afternoon coffee. If you want to vary the recipe, you can add nuts to the crumb topping or use a different jam. Each bite will briefly transport you back to a home kitchen full of tradition.

Irresistible Grandma's Poppy Seed and Quark Cake recept

For 12 portions

Ingredients

For the dough:

Poppy seed filling:

Quark filling:

Crumb topping:

Topping:

Preparation procedure

Preparation time and number of servings

Conclusion

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