A taste of tradition: Poppy seed cheesecake brownies for Christmas

Poppy seed cheesecake brownie combines the new with the old and traditional. A delicious chocolate base is topped by a creamy cheese layer to which I add a handful of ground poppy seeds. The cake is finished with melted dark chocolate and decorated with homemade candied orange peel.

You can prepare the cake in two ways. In the easier method, you add the ground poppy seeds to the cheese mixture. Just 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds are enough to adorn the cake with its characteristic speckles. If you want a separate poppy seed layer, soak the poppy seeds in milk, mix with honey, and combine with half of the cheese mixture. On the baked brownie base, first lay the white layer and then put the poppy seed layer on top.

In the pre-Christmas period, oranges are found in every home. To avoid wasting their delicious peel, prepare it as an aromatic addition to the cake. From orange peels, separate the white pith, and then cut into small cubes or fancy strips. Transfer the peels into a pot, add 240 ml of water and 200 g of sugar. Cook until achieving a syrup-like consistency.

First, prepare the chocolate base for the cake, and then the curd mixture with the addition of seeds from a vanilla pod.

Ingredients:

• 120 g all-purpose flour,
• 200 g of butter,
• 200 g of sugar,
• 8 eggs,
• 200 g of dark chocolate,
• 2 tablespoons cocoa,
• 1 teaspoon baking powder,
• 1 kg of triple-ground curd cheese,
• seeds from a vanilla pod,
• 150 ml of heavy cream,
• 1 package of sugar-free vanilla pudding,
• 20 g of ground poppy seeds.

Instructions:

1. Melt 50 g of chocolate in a pot, add 2 tablespoons of cocoa and 100 g of butter. When the ingredients combine, remove from the heat to cool.
2. In a bowl, beat 3 eggs with a mixer. Add 100 g of sugar. Mix until fluffy.
3. Mix the flour with baking powder and add to the beaten eggs. Combine the ingredients with a spoon. Stir in the cooled chocolate mixture.
4. Pour the batter into a 20 x 30 cm pan lined with parchment paper. Place in an oven preheated to 180 degrees Celsius for approximately 20 minutes. Once the base is baked, remove the pan and reduce the oven temperature to 160 degrees Celsius.
5. Mix the ground curd cheese with the melted and cooled butter (remaining 100 g). Add the vanilla pudding and 100 ml of heavy cream. Combine the ingredients with a mixer.
6. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the remaining sugar. Combine with the cheese mixture. Finally, stir in the seeds from the vanilla pod and 2 tablespoons of ground poppy seeds.
7. Spread the cheese with poppy seeds on the prebaked base and place it in the oven at the reduced temperature of 160 degrees Celsius for 70 minutes. After baking, turn off the oven and leave the cake in it to cool.
8. Melt the remaining chocolate in a water bath. Mix with cream. Cover the cooled cake with a smooth glaze.