"Poppy Seed Roll Cake" by Ms. Melissa D'Annunzio

My favorite holiday tradition involves a cake that I have been obsessed with for about 38 years. It’s a Poppy Seed Roll Cake (kind of like a strudel or coffee cake) that is served at Christmas and Easter in many central and eastern European countries, along with Israel. There are many filling variations, but my favorite is the Polish version my mother makes called makowiec. This cake is nothing like the poppy seed cake or muffins that many of us are familiar with (yellow pound cake with poppy seeds sprinkled throughout). Those are great, but the poppy seed flavor is very light. Makowiec is made from a sweet yeast dough and a thick ribbon of filling that is rolled into it. The filling is made out of Solo brand poppy seeds, rum raisins, and orange zest. There’s even a Wikipedia link for it!  

http://en.wikipedia.orgwikiMakowiec_%28pastry%29

One of my first memories involves this cake and its incredible flavor. My Polish mother took me on a trip from the U.S. to communist Poland in 1973 when I was about two years old so that I could meet my grandparents for the first time. The only thing I remember about that trip is a moment when I stood in the small kitchen and my grandmother bent down and put something heavenly in my mouth. My little taste buds were blown away. To this day, I haven’t been able to recreate the taste of that particular cake; it seemed moister than any version my mother or I have been able to make. I have searched out and eaten versions of this cake in Poland, France, Austria, New York City, Paris, and West, Texas, a small town with a little Czech bakery off the interstate. In fact, I have been known to eat an entire cake in one sitting. That is the equivalent an entire loaf of bread. J

The only downside is that the cake takes 5-6 hours to make because you have to let the dough rise twice. Also, the cans of Solo brand poppy seed are hard to find in most stores (although Publix carries it). Because I don’t have much time to bake, I usually only eat it once a year, making it all the more precious. It has to be PERFECT or the holiday is RUINED! When the yeast doesn’t rise properly, my mother and I sulk for a few hours, analyze what could possibly have gone wrong (the kids were too loud, there was a draft, the room temperature wasn’t right), and we start all over again the next day.
 
If you’re interested in making it yourself, here are the details. My recipe is very long, so I searched the net for what seems to be a good one: http://noblepig.com/2010/09/04/poppyseed-roll-makowiec.aspx The writer is as obsessed with the cake as I am! J The only addition I would make to the recipe is that the Solo brand poppy seed filling should be mixed with about half a cup of raisins soaked in rum (completely optional if the under 21 crowd is eating it) and some orange peel zest (or a tablespoon of OJ if you’re in a pinch). Also, the 40-60 minute cooking time seems a little long. I usually cook it 35-40 minutes.

Thanks for allowing me to share one of my favorite holiday traditions!