Hungarian Poppy Seed Pasta Cake (Pozsonyi kocka)
Pasta cake from Bratislava
This wonderful poppy seed pasta cake is simply heavenly! This is a simple poppy seed sweet made with boiled pasta. Poppy seeds are very popular in Hungary anyway, appearing as an ingredient in many culinary desserts. The origin of the dessert, which is called “Pozsonyi kocka” in Hungarian (“Bratislava cube”), is not entirely clear, but the recipe most likely comes from the Slovakian capital, which was once the crowning capital of Hungary.
The contentious poppy seed
Poppy seed is a very popular ingredient in Hungary, where it is used as a filler in many dishes, particularly sweets. Other nations, however, restrict its commercialization, and it may only be bought through pharmacies. Despite the fact that opium is acquired from the plant’s unripe cocoon and that poppy seeds have nothing to do with the drug’s manufacture, their intake is nonetheless restricted in some nations for drug-related reasons.
Poppy seed's physiological effects
According to traditional medicine, the high phosphorus concentration of poppy seed oil increases calcium absorption and assimilation into the bones. Poppy seed is strong in calcium and includes a lot of E, C, and B vitamins. It also includes a lot of zinc, which is a cofactor for enzymes that regulate growth and development and plays an important role in immune system support.
The superstition of the poppy seed
Many traditional folk customs in Hungary guaranteed that unmarried females were more readily married. A superstition holds that poppy seeds must be ground on Christmas Day, as marriage will shortly follow. According to superstition grinding poppy seed is beneficial if only for the fact that people who eat poppy seeds, beans, or pumpkins at Christmas will get a lot of money.
Poppy seeds, grinded
With a dedicated grinder, you can get exceptionally high-quality ground poppy seeds. Grinding means that the seeds are not just chopped into little bits, but also to extract the oil and obtain a creamy paste as a consequence. Our filling (or in this example, the sugar poppy seeds covering the bread pudding) will be silkier and more flavorful. Of course, if you don’t have access to such a special grinder, you can use our coffee or spice grinder or perhaps a mortar and enjoy the incomparable taste of poppy seed!
Poppy seeds grinder
Let's get baking!
If you’ve become friends with poppies by now – or you’ve already liked them – then it’s time to start baking! If you like raisins, mix them into the egg mixture to your taste. However, you can add vanilla or even candied fruit to your pasta cake to make it unique. I hope you have fun and bake well! Enjoy your pasta cake!
Ingredients of poppy seed pasta cake:
- 400 g (14 oz) Tagliatelle pasta
- 200 g (7 oz) ground poppy seeds
- 200 g (7 oz) powdered sugar
- 4 eggs
- 200 g (7 oz) apricot jam
- 1 cup sour cream
- 50 g (1,8 oz) butter
- 1 lemon
- raisins to taste
Steps:
- Cook the tagliatelle pasta al dente. Drain and mix well with the butter. Set aside.
- Separate the eggs. Beat the egg yolks with 50 g powdered sugar and the zest of one lemon until creamy. Add the sour cream and mix to a homogeneous mixture.
- Beat the egg whites with 50 g powdered sugar. Carefully mix with the egg yolk mixture. Add the cooked pasta and mix again carefully.
- Stir the remaining 100 g of powdered sugar into the poppy seeds.
- Start layering the dessert: divide 1/3 of the pasta mix in a greased baking tray. Sprinkle half of the sugary poppy seeds on top. Add half of the apricot jam on top. Let’s come the next pasta, poppy seeds and jam. Finish with the last dose of pasta mix.
- Bake for forty minutes at 190°C (375°F). Cool, slice, and top with powdered sugar for serving. Savor your dessert with gusto!
Watch our video about this pasta cake recipe: