Joanna's Blue Poppy Seed Cake

A community recipe by tootsievalentine

Not tested or verified by Nigella.com

Introduction

A very unusual, nutty textured cake. The brown sugar and wholemeal flour add richness while the blue poppy seeds give a strong yet delicate flavour.

Ingredients

Serves: 4-6

For the Cake

4 ounces blue poppy seeds
8⅓ fluid ounces reduced fat milk
8 ounces butter (margarine)
8 ounces turbinado sugar
3 eggs (separated)
8 ounces whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

For the Icing

4 ounces confectioners' sugar
3½ fluid ounces rosewater
silver balls (for decoration)

Method

Joanna's Blue Poppy Seed Cake is a community recipe submitted by tootsievalentine and has not been tested by Nigella.com so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe.

CAKE:

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 (350 degrees F/ 180 degrees C).
Boil poppy seeds in milk, turn off heat then leave to soak in milk for further 25 minutes. Line & grease an 8 inch round tin.
Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg yolks one at a time & beat in thoroughly.
Mix in flour and baking powder and fold into the mixture. Stir in poppy seeds and milk. Whisk egg whites until stiff, then fold into mixture.
Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the skewer becomes clean and the centre feels firm. Leave to cool on a wire rack before icing.

ICING:

Sieve the confectioners' sugar, then simply add a teaspoon of rosewater at a time until you get a runny-ish consistency.
Drizzle the icing over the top of the cake in a haphazard lattice pattern. I never cover it completely as I like to see the golden brown colour of the cake under the white icing.
Before the icing sets, scatter lots of silver balls over the cake. Serve in thick slices with a cup of rose tea.