I had never heard of using poppy seed as a major ingredient in desserts until I moved to Germany. For me, poppy seeds are for topping bread or bagels. Period. Trolling and tasting in German bakeries over the years has changed my mind about this in a big way. Consequently, it’s no surprise I’ve saved several recipes from German cooking magazine for deserts containing poppy seeds. This Lemon Poppy Seed Torte is a hybrid of a few different recipes.
This tort is a crust encasing a lemon-scented cheesecake-like filling topped with a blanket of sugared crushed poppy seeds. The result is a not too sweet, flavorful and delightful dessert. A creamy lemon covered with a crunchy sugared poppy seed topping.
Beware that the large number of poppy seeds in this tort could cause you to flunk a drug test. In case you don’t know poppy seeds contain a certain amount of opiates that show up in your system. For you, Seinfeld fans, Remember the Seinfeld episode where Elaine fails her drug test after ingesting a poppy seed muffin? So that is my public service announcement for this post.
To create this torte, firstly, make a lemon zest spiked dough for the crust. refrigerate it for 30 minutes. In the meantime, crush the poppy seeds. Heat them in a small saucepan with milk and sugar. When the mixture has cooled, bat in the egg. for the creamy filling, beat together sour cream, sugar, cream cheese, lemon extract, eggs, and cornstarch. Blind bake the crust. when it has cooled, fill it with the creamy mixture, top with the poppy seed concoction and bake for another 35 minutes.
I garnished the tort with lemon peels. Alternately, use lemon zest or leave the torte undecorated.
Lemon Poppy Seed Torte
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/3 cup cold unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
For the topping:
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2.5 oz crushed poppy seeds
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
For the filling:
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup cream cheese room temperature
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Powdered sugar and lemon peel strips for decorating
Instructions
Make the Crust:
-
Whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar
-
Mix in the sugar and egg yolk.
-
Add the butter in pieces and knead until a smooth dough forms.
-
Wrap the dough in plastic cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes
Make the Topping:
-
In a small saucepan, bring the milk and 1/4 cup of sugar to a boil.
-
Stir in the poppy seeds.
-
Remove from heat and let cool.
-
Mix in 1 egg. Set aside.
Make the Filling:
-
Beat the sour cream and cream cheese together.
-
Add the remaining 1/4 cup of the sugar and 2 eggs.
-
Beat in the lemon extract and zest.
-
Beat in the cornstarch.
Blind Bake the Crust:
-
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
-
Grease a 9-inch springform pan and line with baking paper.
-
Roll out the crust dough.
-
Transfer the dough to the pan and press it 1+1/5 inches up the sides of the pan.
-
Use a fork to poke holes in the dough at the bottom of the pan.
-
Place another piece of parchment on top and add pie weights to the pan. Alternately place an 8” springform pan inside the pan.
-
Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes.
-
Remove from oven, remove the pie weights/pan and let cool.
Assemble and Bake:
-
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
-
Scrape the cream mixture into the crust and smooth out the top.
-
Distribute the poppy seed topping over the top.
-
Place in oven and bake for 35 minutes.
-
Remove from the oven. Let cool completely.
-
De-pan the cake and transfer it to a serving platter.
-
Dust with powdered sugar and, if you like, decorate with lemon peels.
-
Cut and serve.
Like this Lemon Poppy Seed Torte? Also, try some of these other poppy seed-centric desserts:
