Christmas Star Poppy Seed Yeast Cake

Name: Christmas Star Poppy Seed Yeast Cake
Ingredients: 500 g flour; 250 g milk; 80 g butter; 80 g sugar; 1 egg; 1 egg yolk; 10 g dry yeast; 0.5 tsp salt; 200 g poppy seeds; 100 g boiling water; 40 g honey; 40 g sugar; 30 g raisins; 30 g nuts (I used walnuts); 20 g orange candied fruit (optional); 20 g butter; 1 egg white; 0.5 tsp cinnamon; almond extract (optional); beaten egg; 50 g powdered sugar; 1–3 tsp hot water

I'd like to share a wonderful festive bake for Christmas or New Year's — a delicious and beautiful star-shaped poppy seed yeast cake! It starts with a classic enriched yeast dough made with butter and egg yolks. The dough is simple to make — just mix it together and let it rise once. For the poppy seed filling, I used a combination of sugar and honey in equal parts, but you can use just one or the other. I went with walnuts, though almonds also work beautifully and pair wonderfully with poppy seeds. The orange candied fruit is optional, but if you have the time and inclination, it's worth making from scratch. It's best to do it ahead of time — for example, using my recipe here: Orange Candied Fruit. This poppy seed yeast cake turned out incredibly well-balanced — a perfect example of flavors and aromas working in harmony! A rich, buttery yeast dough paired with a poppy seed filling is always a magical combination! If you love baked goods with poppy seeds, you're going to especially enjoy this one. That said, if poppy seeds aren't your thing or they're hard to find, here are a few alternatives. You could fill the cake with a thick nut paste, or use cinnamon butter, or even go savory with cheese. Any of these options will give you a stunning, festive yeast dough pastry that's sure to be the centerpiece of your holiday table! By the way, I also have a Christmas Poppy Seed Yeast Roll and a quick and easy Poppy Seed Cake with Glaze on the site.

Ingredients:

Yeast Dough:
500 g flour
250 g milk
80 g butter
80 g sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
10 g dry yeast
0.5 tsp salt
Poppy Seed Filling:
200 g poppy seeds
100 g boiling water
40 g honey
40 g sugar
30 g raisins
30 g nuts (I used walnuts)
20 g orange candied fruit (optional)
20 g butter
1 egg white
0.5 tsp cinnamon
almond extract (optional)
For Brushing the Cake:
beaten egg
For Decorating the Cake:
50 g powdered sugar
1–3 tsp hot water

How to cook christmas star poppy seed yeast cake

Make the dough. Combine the flour and yeast in a bowl and stir together. In a separate bowl, mix the warm milk, sugar, egg, egg yolk, and salt. Add the liquid mixture to the flour. Mix until combined, then add the softened butter and mix again. Knead the dough for about 5–10 minutes. A stand mixer makes this easiest, but it works just as well by hand on a countertop.

Place the dough in a warm spot and let it rise until doubled or tripled in size. I put the dough in a slightly warmed oven (I turn the heat on for just a couple of minutes).

While the dough is rising, make the poppy seed filling. Rinse the poppy seeds, pour boiling water over them, and simmer on the lowest heat setting with a lid on for about 5–10 minutes.

Add the melted honey, sugar, softened butter, cinnamon, and almond extract (if using) to the steamed poppy seeds.

Blend thoroughly, then add the egg white and blend a little more. You can grind the poppy seeds using an immersion blender, or run them through a meat grinder 2–3 times, then mix in the remaining ingredients.

Add the raisins, finely chopped walnuts, and orange candied fruit to the poppy seed filling.

Stir everything together — the poppy seed filling is ready.

Shape the cake. Divide the risen yeast dough into 4 equal portions.

Roll the first portion into a circle about 28 cm (11 inches) in diameter.

Roll the dough up onto the rolling pin and transfer it to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or greased with butter.

Spread one-third of the poppy seed filling on top, leaving a couple of centimeters (about an inch) around the edges.

Cover with the second rolled-out layer of dough, then add more poppy seed filling, then another layer of dough, more filling, and finally the last layer of dough. You'll end up with four layers of dough, with poppy seed filling between each layer except the top.

Place an upside-down cup about 8–9 cm (3–3.5 inches) in diameter in the center and press lightly to mark a circle. You'll make your cuts starting from this mark. First, make 4 cuts evenly spaced opposite each other.

Then make 2 more cuts within each of the resulting sections, for a total of 12 cuts. You can make more cuts if you'd like more points on the star.

Take two adjacent dough strips and twist them toward each other. Make 2 full twists and press the ends together to seal.

Here's what the finished result looks like.

Brush the shaped dough with beaten egg — a silicone pastry brush works best for this.

Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C (350°F) for 20–30 minutes.

Let the cake cool completely, then drizzle with powdered sugar glaze (mix the powdered sugar with warm water until you get a thick, pourable consistency).

I want to show you a cross-section of this star-shaped poppy seed cake so you can see just how much delicious filling is packed inside. This is nothing like those sad store-bought versions with a thin smear of poppy seeds! This is the real deal — the way I love it: less dough, more filling!

This star-shaped poppy seed yeast cake is an incredibly fragrant and festive bake that will make a stunning centerpiece for any holiday table. Beautiful and absolutely delicious!