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Cakes, Layer Cakes

My Moist Poppy Seed Eierschecke, Just Like From the Pastry Shop

by Lisa

Trained pastry chef

Slice of poppy seed Eierschecke with a shortcrust base, a dark poppy seed and quark layer and a golden egg white topping dusted with powdered sugar

4.8 (24)out of 5, 24 ratings

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Prep
5 min
Bake
40 min
Total
45 min
Makes
10

Back in the pastry shop, we always set the poppy seeds to soak the evening before, so they could swell overnight in the warm milk and go into the cake really moist the next morning. That is exactly the idea I bring back into this poppy seed Schecke, my Eierschecke with poppy seeds: first warm the milk, sugar and butter briefly with the poppy seeds, then the quark layer, then a fluffy egg white topping on top.

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What sets my recipe apart from the classic poppy seed cakes online is this three-layer build with real quark instead of pudding and its own egg white topping that wobbles in the oven like a little cloud. A fellow pastry chef showed me this recipe years ago during my training, and I baked it three times before I was happy with it. Only one thing really matters: the poppy seed mixture must not boil, you only warm it gently, otherwise it dries out and turns sandy. Here is my recipe for poppy seed Schecke, the Eierschecke with poppy seeds:

Ingredients

Makes 10

Shortcrust pastry

  • 1 ¼ cups150 gall-purpose flourIn German recipes plain flour means soft wheat flour Type 405 unless stated otherwise. In the US use all-purpose flour; in the UK, plain flour.
  • 6 tbsp80 gunsalted butterGerman butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter (European-style unsalted butter is closest); in the UK, unsalted butter.
  • ¼ cup50 ggranulated sugar
  • 1large egg yolkSave the egg white.

Quark layer

  • 2 cups500 mlmilk
  • 1 packetcustard pudding powder1 packet = about ⅓ cup (37 g). A packet of flavored starch that is cooked with 2 cups (500 ml) of milk and sugar into a thick pudding. In the US use about ⅓ cup (40 g) cornstarch plus 1 tsp vanilla extract per packet; in the UK, custard powder, about 40 g per German packet (it is unsweetened, so it swaps 1:1 by weight).
  • 1 ⅔ cups400 gquarkAny fat content works. German quark is a fresh, mild and slightly tangy cheese with a spoonable texture. In the US use full-fat Greek yogurt strained overnight, or farmer's cheese; in the UK, quark from the supermarket chiller (choose a full-fat one if you can find it).
  • 17 ½ oz500 gpoppy seed fillingStore-bought or homemade (see below). A ready-to-use sweet filling of ground poppy seeds. In the US use canned poppy seed filling from the baking aisle or an Eastern European shop; in the UK, poppy seed filling from a Polish or Eastern European shop.
  • ⅓ cup70 ggranulated sugar

Topping

  • 3large egg yolks
  • 4large egg whites
  • ⅔ cup80 gpowdered sugarVery finely ground sugar for icings and dusting. In the US use powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar); in the UK, icing sugar.
  • ¾ cup plus 1 tbsp200 gquark

Poppy seed filling

  • 14 oz400 gpoppy seedsGround. German recipes use blue poppy seeds and grind them first for fillings. In the US and the UK, grind poppy seeds in a spice grinder.
  • 2 tbsp30 gunsalted butter
  • 5 tbsp70 mlmilk
  • 3 to 5 tbspgranulated sugar

Method

  1. For the shortcrust pastry, knead all the ingredients into a dough and press it into a 10-inch (26 cm) springform pan. Leave the sides bare and only cover the bottom.

  2. For the poppy seed filling, warm all the ingredients together on the stove for a few minutes until the butter has melted. Let it steep and cool for at least 30 minutes.

  3. Mix all the ingredients for the quark layer together and spread the mixture over the shortcrust base in the pan.

  4. Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F (170°C) convection (fan) for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. At this point the filling still wobbles when you move the pan. While it bakes, prepare the topping.

  5. Mix the egg yolks & quark together. Beat the egg whites with the powdered sugar until stiff. Then fold the beaten egg whites into the quark mixture in 3 to 4 portions.

  6. Carefully spread the topping over the hot bottom part of the Schecke and smooth it out. Put it back in the oven and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes more, until the topping is nicely browned. The Schecke still wobbles at this stage too! By now it should also have risen really high and look like a cloud. That changes a lot as it cools, though.

  7. The Schecke is best enjoyed chilled, after dusting it with powdered sugar.

Questions and answers

What is a poppy seed Schecke?
A poppy seed Schecke is a three-layer cake from Saxony with a thin base, a poppy seed layer and a quark or egg custard layer on top. I also add a fluffy egg white topping, which makes the Schecke nice and tall and wobbly in the oven.
Shortcrust or yeast dough as the base for a poppy seed Schecke?
Both are traditionally right. In my recipe I use a quick shortcrust, because you can press it straight into the pan without chilling. If you like it a little softer and more bready, you can just as well line the pan with a thinly rolled yeast dough, which is how my colleague from the pastry shop knows it, for example.
Why does the egg white topping sink as it cools?
That comes from the high fat content of the egg yolks, quark and butter. As long as the cake is hot, the egg white topping holds its volume; as it cools, it contracts and firms up again. In my oven the topping seems to double in height and then settles back into a calm, even layer. That is normal and not a mistake in the recipe.
Can I make the poppy seed mixture myself instead of using ready-made poppy seed filling?
Yes, that is what I do for this recipe. Poppy seeds, milk, sugar and butter go into a pot together and are only warmed until the butter has melted and the poppy seeds can swell a little. It cannot really come to a boil anyway, because the mixture is too dry for that. If you like, you can use ready-made poppy seed filling just as well, which saves time.
How do I store poppy seed Schecke after baking?
I like the Schecke best when it is thoroughly chilled, so after baking I let it rest in the fridge for at least a few hours before I cut it. Covered, it keeps fresh there for three to four days; the shortcrust base stays crisp and the quark layer gets even better.