The combination of flavors makes this cake so unique yet so GOOD!
Layered cakes always make for great desserts for special events, that includes our Poppy Seed Cake or the Meringue Chocolate Cake (my husband’s favorite dessert on our blog). In this cake, the combination of the chocolate layer with the poppyseed and meringue gives it so much flavor and the cream brings all of the flavors together. Though the cake is a little more time consuming than other desserts, it’s worth every minute because it truly does taste royal.
how to make royal delight cake-
I’d highly recommend you read the cake all the way through so you know what you are doing. 🙂
Preheat oven to 355°F. Cover the bottom of two 8-inch round baking pans with parchment paper.
prepare the chocolate and poppy seed layers-
In a small bowl, combine flour and baking powder, set aside. Separate the egg yolks and whites into two different bowls. Add the sour cream to the egg yolks and beat on high for 2 minutes, until the mixture is fluffy. On high speed, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Slowly add the sugar to the egg whites and beat until well combined. Combine the egg yolk mixture and egg whites and gently fold with a spatula. Fold in the flour and mix in with a spatula working from the bottom up. Divide the mixture between two bowls. Add poppy seed to one of the bowls and add cocoa powder to the second, mix gently to combine. Pour the cake mixtures into the pans. Bake in a preheated oven 12-15 minutes. Check the center of the cake for readiness with a toothpick.
prepare the meringue layers–
Preheat oven to 320°F. Line (two) 8-inch pans with parchment paper. Finely chop the walnuts. Beat egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks begin to form. Slowly, add in the sugar and mix until combined. Fold in the walnuts with a spatula. Divide the mixture between the pans. Try to get the tops spread as evenly as possible. Bake 1 hour. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN during baking. Open the oven door halfway and allow the meringues to cool before removing. (If you take them out of the oven immediately the change in temperature will cause the layers to flatten).
prepare the cream–
Mix together the butter, powdered sugar, and cream cheese. Add in the condensed milk and mix with a spatula. Refrigerate cream for at least 10 minutes. It will start to thicken and will be easier to apply.
assemble the cake–
Blend the vanilla wafers and walnuts. Combine together the wafers, walnuts, and poppy seeds. (THIS IS TOTALLY OPTIONAL and you can decorate as you please) Once the cakes are completely cooled, place the chocolate layer on a cake platter as the base. Add a generous portion of cream. Top the chocolate layer with a meringue layer. Cover with a very thin layer of cream. Top with the second meringue layer and a thin layer of cream. Add the poppyseed layer to the top of the cake. Cover tops and sides of the cake with the remaining cream.
how to decorate the cake–
Cover the sides of the cake with the decor mixture and some around the rim of the cake. Melt chocolate and add to a plastic bag. Decorate the top of the cake with the chocolate as desired. Refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight. Enjoy!
I know as you look at the cake and the ingredients, it may feel intimidating and scary but the recipe is actually really simple, just has a few more steps than a simple cake.
other recipes using poppyseed:
Poppy Seed Bars– Moist bars with a dulce de leche cream. Babka– A soft bread braid with poppy seed filling. Roulade– Homemade poppy seed roulade recipe. Poppy Seed Roll– Sweetbread with poppy seed and cream cheese filling.
