German Poppy Seed Cake (Mohnkuchen)
A tender German butter cake layered with a sweet poppy seed filling, baked until golden. Simple enough for weeknight baking but elegant enough for any table.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Servings
- 8
- Calories
- 385
- Protein
- 8g
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 whole large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup poppy seeds
- ½ cup milk
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
Instructions
- 1
Set the oven to 350°F and wait until the indicator light signals it has finished heating, about 10 minutes. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper.
- 2
In a small bowl, stir the poppy seeds and milk together until combined, then set aside to soak so the seeds absorb moisture and soften, about 5 minutes.
- 3
In a large bowl, add the softened butter and sugar, then use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat until the mixture looks pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes — you should see it transform from yellow to light cream-colored.
- 4
Add the eggs one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition for 15 seconds, until just mixed in before you add the next egg.
- 5
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder until uniform.
- 6
Add half of the flour mixture to the butter-egg bowl, then stir with a spatula until you see no white streaks, about 20 seconds.
- 7
Pour in the milk and poppy seed mixture, then stir until combined, about 20 seconds.
- 8
Add the remaining flour mixture, then stir until you see no white flour streaks and the batter looks uniform and thick.
- 9
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula so it's level.
- 10
Slide the pan into the oven on the middle rack and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs, about 35–40 minutes.
- 11
Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool on a kitchen counter for 10 minutes, then run a butter knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake.
- 12
Set a wire cooling rack on top of the pan, then carefully flip the pan and rack together so the cake slides onto the rack — peel away the parchment paper if it's stuck to the bottom.
- 13
Let the cake cool completely on the rack, about 20 minutes, before slicing and serving.
Tools you’ll need
- 9-inch round cake pan
- parchment paper
- small bowl
- large mixing bowl
- electric mixer
- rubber spatula
- whisk
- wooden spoon
- toothpick
- butter knife
- wire cooling rack
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