Today I have an offer for those who don't like Valentine's Day. Poppy seed cake with piecrust hearts can be a sweet ending for a romantic dinner with candles or a simple afternoon tea without any special occasion. We don't have to have an occasion to eat something delicious and sweet at the same time, right? I think so, so I eat poppy seed cake every time I bake it, even if it is a normal weekday. This year, we will enjoy hearty poppy seed cake on Valentine's Day, but I think I will bake it again someday.

Ingredients
dough
250 g of flour
125 g of cold butter
1 egg
4 tablespoons of caster sugar
poppy seed layer
400g of grated poppy seeds
100 g of butter
3 big tablespoons of flour
5 eggs
250g of sugar
1 teaspoon of almond aroma
dried fruit and nuts

Make the dough. Knead a smooth dough with all the ingredients. Cover with some plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for one hour. Divide the dough into two parts - 1/3 and 2/3. Leave the smaller piece of the dough in the fridge.
Cover a baking pan with some baking paper. Heat the oven to 180C.
Cover the bottom and the sides of the baking pan with the bigger part of the dough. Prick the dough with a fork and bake for 10-12 minutes.
Make the poppy seed layer. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Add the sugar to the egg yolks and mix them until you have a smooth bright mixture. Add the poppy seeds spoon by spoon to the egg mixture. Mix constantly. Add the flour, butter, almond aroma and dried fruit and nuts and mix them in. Whip the egg whites in a separate bowl. Add them to the poppyseed mixture and mix them in thoroughly and gently.
Put the poppy seed mixture onto the baked dough. Pin out the rest of the dough and cut into hearts. Arrange them on the poppy seed layer. Bake for 55-60 minutes. Sprinkle with some caster sugar or decorate with icing and lemon zest before serving.

Enjoy your meal!

Try also:
Yeast cake with black currant jam
My tartini tart with pears
Small chocolate-raspberry cake