Recipe: Poppy seed cake with beetroot icing
A Garden Day celebration wouldn’t be complete without something sweet. So why not bake a delicious garden-inspired cake?
Local chef Mynhardt Joubert, from Mynhardt Cathedral Cellar Kitchen in Paarl in the Cape Winelands, shares his recipes for showstopping cakes that are sure to impress your guests with their beautiful decoration and incredible flavours.
“This cake has featured at all kinds of festive occasions in my family over the years. It is rich and filling and the ideal cake to present on any occasion where a crowd has to be fed. Allow for at least a day to stand as the flavour and density of the cake only improves and gets so much better.”
This cake makes enough for eight to ten people. Also, check out his recipes for a vanilla peach fuzz ombré cake and carrot cake.
Poppy seed cake with beetroot icing
Photo: Adel Ferreira
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 30 - 40 minutes
Oven temperature: 180 °C
Ingredients:
Cake
6 extra large eggs
630 g castor sugar
250 ml canola oil
500 g double cream plain yoghurt
150 g poppy seeds
160 g desiccated coconut
350 g self-raising flour
Icing
100 g butter, softened
400 g crème fraîche
130 g icing sugar
10 ml vanilla paste or extract
15 ml beetroot powder or 5 ml pink food colouring
400 g good-quality white chocolate, melted
Method:
Cake
Cream the eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the oil and yoghurt and mix through.
Add the poppy seeds, coconut and flour and mix thoroughly.
Divide the batter into two 28 cm loose-bottom cake pans.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Spread the icing between each layer and stack the cakes spreading the last frosting on top.
Garnish with fresh figs, pomegranate seeds and flowers.
Icing
Cream the butter and crème fraiche together with an electric beater.
Add the icing sugar, vanilla, beetroot powder (or food colouring) and mix through.
While whisking, pour in the melted chocolate and whip until thickened.
Keep at room temperature when you are not using the icing right away.
Top tip: Make sure to line your cake tins with well-greased baking paper as the high sugar content can make the cake stick to the sides of the pan.
Photo: Adel Ferreira
Celebrate with us!
Celebrate Garden Day with us on Sunday 20 October! For food, decor and party ideas and inspiration, visit our blog and check out our social media. Want to join an event, enter a competition or bag a promo? Visit our Events page.
Share your celebration with us @gardendaysa and tag #GardenDaySA.