Marbled poppy seed & semolina cake
Prep
25 mins
Cook
1 hr 10 mins
Servings
10
Difficulty
Hard
This is one of my favorite cakes to bake when I want something that feels a bit special without too much fuss. The marbled pattern looks impressive, but honestly, it's incredibly simple to pull together. Kefir and crème fraîche keep the cake wonderfully moist while adding a subtle tang, and the poppy seeds bring a lovely nutty flavor and texture. Poppy seeds are actually packed with calcium and magnesium, so you're getting some real nutrition alongside the indulgence. At just 25 minutes of prep, you can have this in the oven before you know it, making it perfect for when you want homemade cake without the stress.
Ella x
Ingredients
- 500 mlsbaked milk kefir(or natural kefir yogurt)
- 200 gramssemolina
- 2 tspbicarbonate of soda
- 50 gramspoppy seeds
- 2eggs
- 200 mlsunsalted butter(melted and cooled)
- 2 tspvanilla extract
- 1unwaxed lemon(zest)
- 160 gramsplain flour
- 1creme fraiche(Crème fraîche or whipped cream, to serve (optional))
- 200 gramsgolden caster sugar
- ½ tspsalt
Detail level
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 170ºC, gas mark 3. Grease and line a 20cm round springform cake tin. In a large bowl, mix the kefir (or natural kefir yogurt), semolina and 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda together and leave to stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly toast the poppy seeds, then tip into a mortar (or a coffee or spice grinder) and use a pestle to grind them as finely as possible. You may need to do this in batches.
- 2
Add the eggs, sugar, salt, melted butter, vanilla, lemon zest and remaining 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda to the kefir mixture. Mix together, then fold in the flour. Transfer ¼ of this mixture to a small bowl and fold in the ground poppy seeds. Tip ½ the remaining batter into the prepared tin, then dot over ½ the poppy seed mixture. Use a palette knife to swirl it into the mixture to create a marbled effect. Repeat with the remaining batters on top.
- 3
Bake for 55 minutes - 1 hour 10 minutes, covering with foil after 40 minutes, until risen, golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving
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