Recipe: Poppy Seed Cake with Custard Frosting (Czech)

POPPY SEED CAKE WITH CUSTARD FROSTING

"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." - Shari Guderjahn

1/2 cup poppy seeds
1 cup milk
3/4 cup butter (or Spry vegetable shortening)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon lemon zest (optional)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 egg whites, beaten
Custard Frosting (recipe follows)

Soak poppy seeds in milk for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan.

Cream the butter or Spry. Add sugar, then add milk and poppy seeds. Add flour, lemon zest, baking powder and salt (we often omit the lemon zest), then the beaten egg whites. Spread in prepared pan.

Bake in 350 degree F oven for 30-35 minutes or until cake tests done.

CUSTARD FROSTING

1/2 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup milk
1/2 cup Crisco vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons butter, softened
5 tablespoons powdered sugar

In a saucepan, whisk together sugar, egg yolks and cornstarch. Gradually whisk in milk; cook until thick. Remove from heat and let cool.

With a mixer, beat together Crisco, butter and powdered sugar. Add the cooled custard gradually and beat together well.

Makes 1 (13x9-inch) cake
Source: Burning Sun and Silver Moon by The Junior League of Rockford, Iowa