Lemon—Poppy Seed Cake

From the book Cooking for the Week by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart

Introduction

This cake, baked in a tube or Bundt pan, is at once tender and crunchy, thanks to the poppy seeds. After baking, a lemon sugar syrup is poured over the cake, further brightening its flavor. Easy to make, this cake freezes beautifully, and is a last-minute savior when you need a dessert on short notice.

Ingredients

Cake

Syrup

Steps

To Make the Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Select a 10- or 11-inch tube or Bundt pan, preferably nonstick, and spray it with vegetable-oil cooking spray. In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest together until light and fluffy, using a wooden spoon or an electric mixer. Beat in 1 egg and one third of the buttermilk. Repeat twice to add the remaining eggs and buttermilk. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds together. Add to the wet ingredients and beat just until blended.
2. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the top uniformly. Bake until a wire cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then run a thin-bladed nylon spatula or dull knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Place a wire rack over the pan and hold it in place while turning the pan upside down and shaking it gently to unmold the cake. Let cool for 2 hours.

To Make the Syrup

1. In a 1-quart nonreactive saucepan, bring the lemon juice and sugar to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Continue simmering for 5 more minutes. Using a toothpick, poke holes in the cake in a random pattern about 1 inch apart. Using a pastry brush, brush the lemon syrup all over the cake until all the glaze is used.

Notes

• Remove the zest from any citrus fruit by carefully peeling it off with a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife, leaving the bitter white pith underneath. Or, even easier, buy a citrus zester (it has a flat blade made up of 4 or 5 tiny round holes that strip off the zest) at a kitchenware shop; it makes the job a snap.

This content is from the book Cooking for the Week by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart.