I am not one of those people who refuse to share a recipe, or worse, one of those that omit a crucial ingredient so your version never turns out quite right.  Love shared is love multiplied as far as I am concerned. And since I don’t really develop recipes, who knows where I would be if no one shared with me.

My grandmother made this cake as long as I can remember and I’ve been making it for nearly as long as I can remember. Her version, in her writing.

But it most likely came from one of these sources, probably the Daily Breeze.

She always mentioned using port or sherry and I didn’t know where she got that idea until I came across this in her recipe card box recently.

This version is the one she copied for me, but since she was a tweaker too the poppy seed amount is changed.

Here’s my version:

Ethel’s Poppy Seed Cake

• 1 pkg. yellow cake mix
• 1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding (small box)
• 4 eggs
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• ¾ Madeira wine
• ¼ cup poppy seeds

Mix well.  Bake in a well-greased Bundt pan at 350 for 40-55 min.  Start testing at 40 min.  Let cool, turn out of pan and dust with powdered sugar.

I often make one in a sunflower Bundt pan, a nod to my Grandmother’s favorite flower (and the Kansas state flower).

For a more elegant presentation, use a traditional Bundt pan and dust with powdered sugar.

Make sure to save a slice and enjoy it for breakfast the next morning with a cup of coffee (preferably in your kitchen listening to Vin Scully, the voice of the Dodgers, broadcasting a game on a transistor radio).

Share the love today.