posted by Cissy 01-08-103 2:25 PM
Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook:
Poppy Seed Torte
1/3 cup poppy seed
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup butter (or margarine; I use sweet butter)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups sifted cake flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 egg whites, beaten stiffly
Filling (recipe follows)
Combine seeds and milk; let soak one hour.
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix vanilla into milk mixture. In a bowl, stir dry ingredients together and stir into creamed mixture. Carefully fold in beaten egg whites and pour into two well-greased and lightly floured 8 x 1 1/2" pans. Bake in preheated 375* oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans. When cool, split layers and spread filling between layers (leave top of cake naked). Sprinkle with confectioners sugar prior to serving (it is nice if you put a paper doily over the top of the cake before you sprinkle it with the confec. sugar).
Filling: Mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp cornstarch in a saucepan. Mix 1 1/2 cups milk with 4 slightly beaten egg yolks and add stir into the sugar mixture. Cook and stir until bubbly; cool (Note: I put saran or cling film directly on top of the filling as it cools, to prevent a skin from forming). When cool, add 1 tsp vanilla and 1/4 cup chopped walnuts.