Ukrainian Honey Poppy Seed Cake

A cake at once both sweet and bittersweet

My father’s family came from a shtetl in what is now Poland, on the border with Ukraine. At the time it was all Austro-Hungary. My grandfather fought in the Ukraine-Galician army during World War I. But you don’t need to have any family connection to Ukraine to feel profound sadness and anger about what is happening there.

Obviously, cake won’t fix any of it, but perhaps a taste of what is special to many Ukranians, will strengthen our connection with them. Honey poppyseed cakes are popular all over Ukraine, and I suspect there are as many recipes as there are loving grandmas.

My version is quite delicate, yet rich with a buttery honey flavor. I use orange zest to brighten up the flavor of the cake, but if you only have lemon, that will work beautifully, too. The recipe contains corn starch, which helps give the cake it’s dainty texture.

If you have a family recipe for poppy seed cake, feel free to share it in the comments below. It would be nice to create a collective of them, where people can search through to find the one that tastes like they remember.

World Central Kitchen is doing wonderful work on the border of Ukraine feeding refugees. If you have some money to spare, please consider donating to them.

Ukranian Honey-Orange Poppy Seed Cake

What You’ll Need:

A 9-cup (@9-inch x 3-inch) bundt pan

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 ounces) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons corn starch

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1/2 cup (4 ounces) granulated sugar

3 ounces honey

6 ounces butter, softened

1 teaspoon orange zest

3 large eggs, room temperature

Glaze ingredients:

3 ounces honey

1/3 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed is nice)

What You’ll Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Butter the bundt pan very fastidiously. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon sugar over the buttered surface, knocking the pan to ensure the flour and sugar are evenly distributed. Tap out any excess.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, corn starch and poppy seeds.

4. With a stand or hand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, honey and orange zest until pale and fluffy, scraping the bowl a few times. I’m not kidding when I say pale and fluffy. Be patient. It will take about 2 minutes.

5. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. And yes, you know what I’m about to say: Scrape down the sides of the bowl between each addition.

6. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just incorporated. (Scrape, scrape, scrape.) Raise the speed to medium and continue mixing for another 10 seconds or so until the mixture is smooth. Then one last touch: Give the entire mixture a 5-second whirl on high speed to help emulsify the mixture. The result will be a tender cake. Promise.

7. Spoon the mixture into the prepared bundt pan, trying not to let too much fall into the hole in the middle of the pan, as always happens when I do it.

8. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick poked into the cake comes out clean. If the cake browns before the middle is cooked, cover loosely with aluminum foil and lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

9. Let cool on a rack for about 10 minutes. Place a wire rack over the top, and invert the cake. Say encouraging things to the bundt pan to ensure your cake releases easily. Let cool.

10. Prepare the glaze: In a small sauce pan over low heat, simmer the honey and orange juice for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has reduced and thickened slightly. It should have the consistency of caramel.

11. Poke holes in the top of the cake with a toothpick and spoon over the glaze.

Poppy seed postscript: As a kid I remember the disappointment of going to a Hungarian bakery in New York City and seeing long loaves of sweet bread bursting with what I thought was chocolate filling, only to learn it was “mohn” filling, or poppy seed.

Luckily I’m over that, but I wonder if I was the only one?

Please leave comments, recipes, memories below.

Thank you.