Polish poppy seed roll (Makowiec)

1. Put the poppy seeds into a pan, pour over enough hot water to cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes, then drain and grind twice (in a poppy seed grinder or a powerful food processor) – this makes the filling creamy. Mix the ground poppy seeds with the honey, the soaked raisins, the chopped walnuts and the grated orange zest.

2. Warm the milk to lukewarm and let it froth for 10 minutes with 1 teaspoon of sugar and the yeast. Knead the flour with the remaining sugar, the egg yolks, the yeast milk and the melted butter into a smooth, elastic dough; cover and leave to rise for 1 hour.

3. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold them into the poppy seed filling.

4. Roll out the risen dough on floured baking paper into a rectangle of about 35×30 cm, spread the filling evenly over it (leaving 2 cm free at the edge) and roll it up tightly using the paper; tuck in the ends.

5. Put the roll into a baking tray with the paper (or wrap it loosely in baking paper so it doesn't crack), cover and leave to rise for 30 minutes, then bake in an oven preheated to 180 °C for 40-45 minutes.

6. Serve cooled, cut into thick slices; glaze with lemon icing if you like.

Tip: Makowiec is an essential cake of Polish Christmas and Easter, a close relative of the Hungarian poppy seed beigli; its secret is the pre-cooked, twice-ground poppy seeds and the whisked egg whites, which keep the filling light and moist.