Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

I made this cake twice in one week recently.  No, I didn’t make one cake for Scott to eat and one cake for me to eat.  That would have been a bit too indulgent, even for us.

The first cake we divided in half and biked in to work to share with our co-workers.  The second cake we brought to my parents’ house for Easter.  There were just 18 of us staying at my parents’ house that weekend, and I’m happy to report that Scott and I were able to secure my old room for the entire weekend.  There are some definite advantages to arriving early and bringing cake.  In between the cooking, onion dip eating, and egg hunt, there was lots of hanging out and laughing.  It was fun.

While I can’t promise you that this cake will secure you a room at your parents’ house when lots of relatives are also visiting, I can promise you that it's loaded with poppy seeds, moist, and pleasantly lemony.  Definitely consider eating this cake with good friends.  You’ll want someone to tell you that you still have poppy seeds stuck in your teeth once your piece of cake is long gone.

Notes:
Depending on the size of your lemons,  you may get a little more or a little less juice.  The ¼ cup of juice is a ballpark figure, so if you have a little more or a little less, just add what you have.  Like in the Luscious Lemon Loaf Cake, the lemon zest has a tendency to cling to the beater in this batter, so be sure to fully scrape the beater often. 

This recipe is an adaptation of the Luscious Lemon Loaf Cake, which was adapted from Chocolate: From Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers

Ingredients:
3 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup poppy seeds
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1¾ cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
zest of 3 lemons
1½ cups full-fat sour cream
¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Yields 1 tube cake, about 16 servings

Mix:
Preheat the oven to 350°F, and adjust the rack to the middle level of the oven.  Butter and flour a tube pan, and set aside.  In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Then add the poppy seeds and stir until they are evenly distributed throughout the flour mixture, and set aside.  In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, until each egg is fully incorporated, then beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.  Scrape the beaters well, and add half of the dry ingredients to the mixture.  Beat until the dry ingredients are incorporated, scrape the beaters and bowl, and add half of the sour cream.  Beat until the sour cream is fully incorporated, and scrape the beaters and bowl.  Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and sour cream, adding the remaining dry ingredients first, mixing and scraping well, and then adding the remaining sour cream, mixing and scraping well.  Last, add the lemon juice and beat just until it is incorporated. 

Bake:
Use a spatula to transfer the mixture into the prepared tube pan, then drag a butter knife through the batter to remove any air pockets, and smooth out the top.  Bake at 350°F for 55-65 minutes, or until the cake has raised and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.  If your tube pan has a removable insert, allow the cake to cool fully in the pan.  For serving, run a thin knife around the pan edges and tube, lift out the insert, and slice the cake.  If your tube pan does not have a removable insert, allow the cake to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, run a thin knife along the edges and tube of the pan, and gently turn out the cake onto a cooling rack.  Flip the cake over and allow it to finish cooling on the rack.  Store the cooled cake at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic. Pin It