Tag: #lemonpoppyseedcake
Soured by Cookies, Saved by Lemon Cake

Soured by Cookies, Saved by Lemon Cake

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I tried a couple of new cookie recipes recently and as the saying goes, you win some you lose some.  The first recipe Malted Milk Chocolate Cookies came from a book I received to review, Holiday Cookies.  Decidedly MEH.  The malt flavor was barely discernible and the milk chocolate did not stand out.

Another Cookie Bust

A few days later with the fall season in full swing, a recipe for pumpkin snickerdoodles popped up on my feed. Never get swept up by fall pumpkin fever.  But they looked delicious so I baked a batch.  I waited for the first batch to cool, grabbed one off the rack, and took a bite…MEH.  Noooo, another cookie bust.  Little pumpkin or spice flavor, very nondescript.

It’s Not a Lemon

A new recipe caught my eye, not a cookie but a cake recipe.  Food52 posted a lovely lemon poppy seed cake from Ottolenghi.  I am a sucker for lemon and poppy seeds.  Hoping my luck would change, and having the utmost confidence in Food52 and Ottolenghi, I decided to make the cake.  After all, I can’t have three lemons in a row, even if the last recipe actually calls for lemons.

The cake is quick and easy. The recipe starts with beating eggs and sugar together until thick and frothy. Heavy cream is then added to the egg and sugar blend. I took the heavy whipping cream straight out of the fridge and with the mixer running, added it in a steady stream to the egg mixture. Beat until it has the consistency of pancake batter. The flour is then folded in along with the melted butter, lemon zest, and poppy seeds. The recipe calls for 3 lemons to make 1 tablespoon lemon zest but I only needed two good sized lemons and that’s with really packing the measuring spoon (because I LOVE lemon). The lemon was not overpowering. While the cake was baking, I made the lemon icing.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Spread the icing over the top as soon as you remove the cake from the oven.  Do not even think of forgoing the icing.  It adds that sweet-tart lemony oomph and creates a beautiful glossy sheen.  The cake has a nice crumb and is denser than say a sponge cake but lighter than a traditional pound cake. If you are a poppy seed addict you could increase the amount as you like. Thankfully this cake saved my week of baking.  From cookie bust to cake champ. Sweet success.

Bookmark this cake and make it soon, you’ll thank me.

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Lemon Poppy Seed Cake (National Trust)

An easy, absolutely delicious lemon poppy seed cake from Ottolenghi
Course Cake, Dessert
Cuisine British
Keyword banana cake, lemon, poppyseed
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Cooling time 16 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 standard loaf 9x5 loaf pan

Ingredients

The Dry Stuff

  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 170 grams
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

The Wet Stuff

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 225 grams
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream, cold 120 milliliters

Butter Mixture

  • 5 tablespoons 70 grams unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing
  • 1 -1.5 tablespoon poppy seeds
  • 1 tbsp Finely grated zest of 3 lemons I needed only 2 lemons

The Icing

  • 3/4 cup 90 grams confectioners' sugar, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 350° (180° C).
  • Grease the loaf pan(s) and line with parchment paper, then set aside.
  • Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a bowl, then set aside.
  • Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, stir in the poppy seeds and lemon zest, and set aside.
  • Place the eggs and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until pale and frothy.
  • Add the cold whipping cream and continue to beat for about 2 minutes, until the mixture has combined, thickened a little, and turned pale.
  • Use a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredient mix into the egg mixture. Then fold the melted butter, poppy seeds, and zest mixture in.
  • Spoon the mixture into the loaf pan(s) so that it rises three-quarters of the way up the sides.
  • Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

The Glaze

  • To make the glaze, whisk the confectioners' sugar with the lemon juice in a bowl. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven, spreading it over the top so that it sinks in and creates a nice coating.
  • Set aside to cool for 30 minutes before removing from the pan.
  • Let it come to room temperature before serving.
TBC (Throwback Cake Day) Rum Doused Lemon Poppyseed Cake

TBC (Throwback Cake Day) Rum Doused Lemon Poppyseed Cake

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Now and then, out of nowhere something from the past pops into your head.  Maybe it’s that Dead Head purple/green tie-dyed tank top.  You immediately drop whatever you are doing, rummage through your closet, and search for that top.  You find it in that dusty cardboard box hidden in the back corner, throw it on, and dance around the house.  It just makes you happy.

Sometimes a long-forgotten recipe pops into my head, and I feel the need to pull it out and make it, like this Rum Doused Lemon Poppyseed Cake.  Back in the day, we would add a box of instant pudding to a boxed cake mix sprinkle it with a liqueur and voila’ an incredibly moist bundt cake that everyone raved about.  This cake reminds me of that one, BUT so much better. It doesn’t have box cake mix or instant pudding (thank goodness) but it is easy to make and extremely delicious.  I’m glad it popped into my head, I think you will be too.

DSC03873

 

A golden oldie…to go along with this cake, Lemon Tree by Peter Paul and Mary

 

DSC03823The cake is made with a combination of butter and cream cheese which creates a wonderful fine crumb.  The poppy seeds give it a nice crunch.  After baking, the cake is doused with rum.  I use a pastry brush to spread the rum on the cake.  It tastes better a day or two later as the rum, lemon, and poppy seed flavors blend.  So dig in your closet or pantry, find your Mom’s old 10-inch tube pan, and bake this cake.

If you love pound cakes like I do, try  Eric Kim’s Butter Cake (Sara Lee would be proud) or Avery’s Kentucky Butter Cake are scrumptious.  I’m so glad I remembered this Lemon Poppyseed Cake it’s wonderful.  I think I’ll go have a slice with a hot cup of tea right now.

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Rum Doused Lemon Poppyseed Cake

Classic Lemon Poppyseed Cake with rum. Moist, tender, with a fine crumb and a bit of crunch from the poppyseeds
Course Cake
Cuisine American
Keyword cake, lemon, poppyseeds, rum
Prep Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 10 inch tube pan

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 2 T poppy seeds

Creamed Mixture

  • 1 cup butter, salted softened, If using unslated butter, add 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1-3/4 cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 T grated lemon rind

Glaze

  • 1/4 cup light rum

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Grease and flour 10 inch tube pan or bundt pan
  • In a medium size bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder, set aside
  • In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese until well blended.
  • Whip sugar, eggs, and lemon rind until mixture is light and fluffy.
  • Stir in flour/baking powder into the butter mixture
  • Stir in the poppy seeds.
  • Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the cake is a light golden brown and springs back firmly when pressed, 55-60 minutes. Watch carefully, I found it took less than the 55 minutes to bake (~45 minutes)
  • Cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a wire rack to cool.
  • Drizzle the rum over the cake slowly allowing rum to permeate cake
  • Transfer to a cake plate or cake stand, cover, and let stand a couple of hours before serving
  • Serve with vanilla ice cream or fresh berries