Poppyseed in a baked good is probably one of my favorite things…EVER! I remember when I did my apprenticeship in pastry school in Germany and I would buy a poppyseed cake weekly at my favorite bakery and it was just the best thing and always such a treat. 

This recipe is adapted from the bakery/patisserie where I did my apprenticeship and it was one of my favorite recipes back then and still is today. I just realized that I certainly don’t make this enough. 

The filling is made of a cooked poppyseed and wheat semolina that is then baked in the oven and finished with a soft baked marzipan crossing on top. A finishing touch of icing sugar and some slivered almonds covered in powdered sugar.

In this version I filled the base into small tartelette shells to give it a more modern look. This can easily be prepared in a large cake tin with a the short crust/sablé bottom or one larger tartelette. To get super nice and even tartelettes or sablés I always use these silicon mats from Silikomart (Amazon). They are a game changer and honestly a must have in your kitchen. And for the tartelette shells I love these rings (Amazon)

Sablé or short crust is an essential in every recipe book. It can be used in so many different ways and it is just so versatile. This sablé recipe just happens with be plant based 🌱 and honestly you can’t tell the difference. I actually prefer this recipe to a standard sablé dough as I think you have a more neutral flavor, which then enhances the flavor of your filling. 

I love using these for practically everything. Wether its for a fancy patisserie or just a simple baked tart. Works everytime. The dough is really easy to make and once baked it can last you for weeks without loosing much crunchiness. (Just make sure to store them airtight)

Using the mats from Silikomart you get even crunchier tartelettes shells that have a longer shelf life. 

I do have to mention that depending on your filling and what you’re baking in your tarts they can soften after a day or so. This is the case with these poppyseed marzipan tartelettes. They taste best the day of baking. After a day or so they tend to soften due to the filling that is very moist and tender.  

So just be aware that they are always best eaten the day of preparation (finished with the filling, etc.) as they are super crunchy. 

So that being said, I’m really happy to be sharing this recipe with you.

305g all purpose flour
1g salt
1g vanilla powder (optional)
140g margarine ( I used Flora)
82g powdered sugar
35g water, cold 

In the bowl of your standing mixer add the flour, salt, (vanilla) and the sieved powdered sugar. 
Give it a quick mix with the paddle attachment. 

Cut the margarine into small cubes and add it to the flour mixture. Mix again until you have a sandy texture. Add the cold water all at once and mix again on low speed until you have a smooth and even dough. Don’t over mix as your dough will become too tough and greasy.

Roll out the dough thinly between 2 sheets of parchment paper and store in the fridge for 2-3 hours until firm. 

Cut the dough to fit your tartelette shells and bake in the oven at 175°C for about 10-12 minutes until a light golden brown.

Set aside while making your filling and marzipan topping.

125g marzipan
85g sugar
15g flour
15-20g Egg whites or egg white substitute ( for example Eggfield) 

Mix everything together in a bowl until you have a smooth and clump free batter. You don’t want to whip the batter, but just incorporate everything well. 

 You might need to adjust the amount of egg whites/egg white substitute until you have a pipe-able batter. (Just make sure it can still keep its structure when piping so it doesn’t loose the shape when baking)
Fill into a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle and set aside for later. 

265g milk (or plant based for ex. Alpro)
35g sugar
72g margarine
53g marzipan
1.5g salt
1/2 tsp vanilla powder 
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
42g wheat semolina (fine)
75g poppyseeds

In a medium sized pot place the milk, about 1/3 sugar and about 1/3 of the margarine and place on medium heat (remember to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t boil over)

Mix together the poppyseed, semolina, cinnamon and vanilla powder and set aside until the milk comes to a boil. 

In a small bowl whisk together the rest of the margarine, rest of the sugar, salt and marzipan until you have a smooth and clump free batter. Set aside.

Once the milk has come to a boil, lower the heat slightly and add in the poppyseed-semolina mixture while whisking constantly. Keeps whisking until it thickens about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add in the marzipan-margarine mixture and mix until evenly combined. 

Fill the hot mixture into your prepared tartelette shells and bake again at 175°C for about 8-10minutes until the filling set slightly. Remove from the oven and pipe the marzipan filling in a cross pattern on top. Place back in the oven and continue baking until slightly golden brown. 

Let it cool down completely before decorating with icing sugar.

Powdered sugar
Water

Mix the sieved powdered sugar and water until you have a thick yet pipe-able texture. Make sure to add the water little by little so it doesn’t end up being too thin in consistency. If that happens then just add more powdered sugar. 

Pipe fine lines on top of the marzipan stripes and decorate with an almond sliver (I dusted them with some powdered sugar) 

Happy tartelette making!