I am not one of those people who refuse to share a recipe, or worse, one of those that omit a crucial ingredient so your version never turns out quite right. Love shared is love multiplied as far as I am concerned. And since I don’t really develop recipes, who knows where I would be if no one shared with me.
My grandmother made this cake as long as I can remember and I’ve been making it for nearly as long as I can remember. Her version, in her writing.
But it most likely came from one of these sources, probably the Daily Breeze.
She always mentioned using port or sherry and I didn’t know where she got that idea until I came across this in her recipe card box recently.
This version is the one she copied for me, but since she was a tweaker too the poppy seed amount is changed.
Here’s my version:
Ethel’s Poppy Seed Cake
- 1 pkg. yellow cake mix
- 1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding (small box)
- 4 eggs
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ Madeira wine
- ¼ cup poppy seeds
Mix well. Bake in a well-greased Bundt pan at 350 for 40-55 min. Start testing at 40 min. Let cool, turn out of pan and dust with powdered sugar.
I often make one in a sunflower Bundt pan, a nod to my Grandmother’s favorite flower (and the Kansas state flower).
For a more elegant presentation, use a traditional Bundt pan and dust with powdered sugar.
Make sure to save a slice and enjoy it for breakfast the next morning with a cup of coffee (preferably in your kitchen listening to Vin Scully, the voice of the Dodgers, broadcasting a game on a transistor radio).
Share the love today.