Recipe submitted by: Shari Guderjahn
This is my great-grandma, Mayme Hosek's recipe. She grew her own poppies for the poppy seed she used in this Czech treat. She also ground her own poppy seeds when she made poppy seed kolaches, another Czech treat.

• 1/2 cup poppy seeds

• 1 cup milk

• 3/4 cup butter or Spry

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

• 1 1/2 cups sugar

• 4 egg whites

• 2 cups cake flour

• 1 tablespoon lemon zest

CUSTARD FROSTING

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

• 2 egg yolks

• 1 cup milk

• 1/2 cup Crisco vegetable shortening

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 5 tablespoons powdered sugar

1. Soak poppy seeds in milk for 2 hours. 

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

3. Cream the butter or Spry. Add sugar, then add milk and poppy seeds. Add dry ingredients (we often omit the lemon), then the beaten egg whites. 

4. Bake in a 9x13-inch pan in 350 oven.

Custard Frosting

1. Cook sugar, cornstarch, yolks and milk until thick; let cool. 

2. Mix Crisco, butter and powdered sugar; beat with mixer. Add the custard gradually and beat together well.