Last updated on October 17th, 2025.
Mohnkuchen is a classic German poppy seed cake that combines a buttery crust, creamy poppy seed filling, and a sweet crumbly topping. It’s the kind of recipe that surprises in its simplicity and always keeps people coming back for more.
This is my Jewish take on the classic German poppy seed cake: Mohn (poppyseeds) kuchen (cake). It similar in spirit to this Polish Apple Cake. While the German version is baked as a full cake with a thick filling, this version, also known as Mohn Bars or poppy seed shortbread bars, is baked thinner, making it a casual, everyday treat perfect with coffee or tea.
Years ago, when I ran My Jewish Baking and baked for synagogues, these bars were always a hit. Men (never women, for some reason!) would tell me how they reminded them of their Bubbi’s baking.
The nutty, earthy poppy seed filling with its hint of bitterness pairs beautifully with the buttery, slightly sweet crust: a nostalgic flavor that feels both comforting and timeless.
Key Ingredients
The complete recipe including measurements is at the bottom of this post on the recipe card. This recipe is made of three parts: the dough, the filling, and the topping. Please ready the below notes and tips.
For the Shortbread Dough and Topping
- Unsalted butter, at room temperature. Butter gives the dough its tender texture and rich, creamy flavor, so use good-quality butter. You can use salted butter, but only if you know the brand well, salt levels vary, and unfamiliar brands can easily throw off the balance. Do not add salt if using salted butter.
- All-purpose flour. I like to use unbleached all-purpose flour, it retain moisture better, but for this recipe, bleached purpose will work great. Add 1/2 cup of fine ground almonds to the flour mixture for an extra nutty flavor.
- Large egg at room temperature. In this recipe the egg adds moisture and structure (from the egg white), and as well and tenderness and flavor (from the fat in the yolk). For an egg free option: increase the butter by 1 Tablespoon, and add 1 Tablespoon of whole milk instead.
- Flavor Options: Rub with the sugar orange, or lemon zest (it does complements the nutty flavor of poppy seeds). Almond extract: add 1/2 teaspoon with the egg.
For the Filling
Making the filling is as simple as making Almond Cream, and you can use a premade poppyseed filling for baking.
- Whole poppy seeds. When we crush the poppyseeds, a bitter flavor is released, so I like to use whole seeds.
- Powdered sugar, Vanilla Extract, and Butter. The three together, will balance out any bitterness that may be released from the seeds as we ground them in the food processor.
- Large egg at room temperature. The egg will bind the filling and make sure it will hold its shape when we slice the bars.
Make It
- You can make the dough, and filling using a food processor, or an electric mixer. Which ever method you decide to use, follow the order of the recipe for the instructions.
- For best results, and consistency, use a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients, especially the flour. To much and the dough will turn out dry and dense. Not enough, and the dough will have a blondie consistency.
- Wrap the dough and refrigerate to allow the flour to soak in some of the moisture and develop flavors.
- The topping can also be made using a bowl and a whisk. Use melted butter for a quick mix.
Make The Dough
Make The Filling and Topping
Assemble
- Brush the topping with beaten egg yolks for a more vibrant topping color.
- As always: pay attention to the cake and not the timer. You oven and kitchen is different than mine and yo may need less or more bake time. The cake is ready when the topping is golden brown, and the edges of the crust are set. If unsure, insert a toothpick into the filling; it should come out mostly clean.
Yields
This recipe can be used to make one 8×8-inch cake, or 9×9-inch cake, and can be sliced into 12-16 pieces. You can also use an 8, or 9 inch springform pan. Another option is to se a 9×13-inch baking pan, it will be thinner and I recommend doubling the filling recipe.
Make sure the toy are using is at least 2.5 heigh.
Storage
Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it for up to 6 week tightly wrapped with plastic wrap and placed in a freeze bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Mohnkuchen (Poppyseed Shortbread Bars)
Ingredients
Make the Dough
- 2 Sticks Unsalted butter, soften (226g)
- 1/2 Cup Sugar (100g)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Large Egg at room temperature
- 2 3/4 Cups AP Flour (340g)
- 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Poppy Seed Filling
- 1 Cup Whole poppy seeds (120g)
- 1/2 Cup Powdered sugar (60g)
- 1 Tablespoon Flour
- 1 Large Egg at room temperature
- 1/4 Cup Unsalted softened butter (55g)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Crumbs Topping
- 2 TBS Sugar (25g)
- 2 TBS Butter ir shortening soften (28g)
- 1 1/2 tsp Honey
- 1/3 Cup AP flour (40g)
Instructions
- In a food processor, process the sugar and butter until incorporated.
- Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl then add it to the food processor followed by the egg and vanilla extract.
- Pulse the mixture until a dough is formed.
- Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour. Remove from the refrigerator 10-15 minutes before baking.
- Preheat oven to 375F Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and grease the sides.
- Roll the dough and flatten it evenly inside the baking pan. Using a fork prick it thoroughly and bake it for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Make The Toppings
- Place the poppy seeds filling ingredients in a food processor and process until a smooth paste is formed.
- Use a fork to mix all of the crumbs topping together until you have a lumpy mixture.
Assemble and Bake
- Preheat your oven to 350F (180C)
- Evenly spread the filling and sprinkle the crumbs on-top.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until the streusel is slightly golden brown. Allow the bars to completely cool before slicing.
Notes
- Use a store-bough filling if available to you. (1-2 cups depending how thick you wish your filling to be)
- For a thicker layer of filling, double the filling layer.
- Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature, and always use a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients.
- Brush the topping with beaten egg yolks for a more vibrant topping color.
- The cake is ready when the topping is golden brown, and the edges of the crust should be set. If unsure, insert a toothpick into the filling; it should come out mostly clean.
- You can use ground poppy seeds instead of whole poppy seeds but note it will enhances the bitterness of the seeds.
- Add 1/2 cup of fine ground almonds to the flour mixture for an extra nutty flavor.
- This recipe can be used to make one 8×8-inch cake, or 9×9-inch cake, and can be sliced into 12-16 pieces. You can also use an8, or 9 inch springform pan. Another option is to se a 9×13-inch baking pan, it will be thinner and I recommend doubling the filling recipe. Make sure the pans are at least 2.5 heigh.
I would love to make these for my Poopy seed loving husband. Can I add lemon juice and zest to make them lemony? If yes, what amount and when and where please? You said double the filling in 9x13pan but can I also double the recipe to have thicker squares? I can’t wait to make these. Thank you ?
Hi, for a lemony flavor add the zest of one lemon to the butter and sugar. And yes if you want a thick crust and filling double the recipe for both the crust and the filling.
Made this with chia seeds because I didn’t have enough poppy seeds. It’s delicious! I made this in 2 4×8 pans because that’s what I had and it came out great! It’s not too sweet, which is wonderful but also dangerous cuz before you know it, you’ll have eaten the whole thing. Highly recommend.
Thank you Lily, I am intrigued about using Chia seeds!