Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake

Yield: one 6-cup Bundt cake
Recipe: 110/200
“Back to Baking”, pp. 155

    I have not been baking for a while and this weekend I really felt like making a cake, so I tried this recipe for a lemon and poppy seed cake. I love lemon-flavoured desserts  and was not disappointed. This recipe is simple to make but the flavours are perfect: delicate but unmistakable. The cake is tasty yet light, and I noticed that people had no guilt when taking two or three pieces (as they shouldn’t!). If you like lemon desserts, this recipe is a must try!

Ingredients for cake:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ tablespoons poppy seeds

Ingredients for glaze:

• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 ½ cup icing sugar, sifted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 275°F. Grease and flour a 6-cup Bundt cake pan.
2. Using a hand or stand mixer, beat together the butter, sugar and zest until fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the butter mixture in two additions, mixing on low speed.
5. Stir in the poppy seeds and mix until homogenous. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
6. Bake the cake for 20 minutes, then increase the temperature of the oven to 325°F and bake for another 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for 30 minutes in the pan, then turn out the cake to cool completely.
7. For the glaze, whisk together the lemon juice and icing sugar until smooth and pour over the cake. Let the glaze set and enjoy!

Valerie