The presburger cake boasts a long tradition dating back to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, combining yeast dough with shortbread. While the name highlights the dough’s distinctive crumbly texture and soft interior, the filling most commonly associated with the cake is a rich poppy seed filling.
In contrast to typical yeast-risen cakes with leavened dough, the thin Presburger dough allows the filling to take center stage. In this recipe from “Erez Komarovsky’s Baking Book,” the filling is rich and delightful.
Poppy seeds frequently don’t receive the recognition they deserve — largely because commercially ground poppy seeds mixtures are too often bitter. Freshly ground poppy seeds, however, offer a sweet, nutty flavor with a delicate bitter finish that will leave you craving more.
Be sure to buy your poppy seeds from a specialty spice shop and ask them to grind them for you. Use them immediately or store them in the freezer for up to a week.
This cake will be available at our poppy seed pop-up at Cafe Asif, March 20-22. We will also have Farah Raslan’s poppy ma’amoul, Tosha Bakery’s poppy tart, Eldad Shmueli’s (Noa Bakery) poppy croissant, and more. Renowned spice shop Habshush will also be on hand to grind fresh poppy seeds to take home.
3 cups (500 grams) bread flour
25 grams (0.9 oz) fresh yeast
¾ cup (75 grams) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams) salt
1 egg
200 grams (7oz) butter, at room temperature
200ml (6¾ oz) full-fat sour cream
1 large lemon, zested
For the poppyseed filling:
1¼ cup (300 ml) milk
1½ cups (300 grams) sugar
100 grams (3 ½ oz) butter
5 cups (500 grams) freshly ground poppy seeds
1 lemon, zested
1 egg beaten with a little water, for brushing
For the lemon sugar glaze:
¾ cup (100 grams) powdered sugar
2 tablespoons boiling water
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Make the dough: Sift the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Crumble the fresh yeast into it and mix.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix just until the dough comes together.
- Transfer the dough to a bowl greased with butter, wrap it well and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
- Prepare the poppy seed filling: Place the milk, sugar, and butter in a pot and bring to a boil, continuously stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat.
- Add the ground poppy seeds and lemon zest, mix well and let cool slightly before transferring to the refrigerator. The filling should be cold when assembling the cake.
- Assemble the cake: Divide the dough in 2 equal parts. Roll out one piece of dough into a rectangle measuring 18x30cm (7×12-in) and approximately 3mm (1/10-in) thick. Using your hand, spread half of the poppy seed filling and smooth it to an even layer. Roll the dough into a roulade. Repeat these steps with the remaining dough and filling.
- Place the roulades on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, brush with the beaten egg and let rise.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180C (350F). When the roulades have risen and are soft to the touch, brush them well with the beaten egg, and bake until golden, 30-35 minutes.
- Prepare the lemon sugar glaze: When the roulades have cooled down completely, mix all the ingredients in a bowl and pour over the roulades evenly. The tart lemon glaze will balance out the sweetness of the poppy seeds.
