Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt

I love just about anything when you add poppy seeds to it, and this lemon poppy seed cake is no exception. Sometimes when I really want the poppy flavor to come through I double the quantity of seeds to a quarter of a cup.  This recipe makes a very large cake, which makes me feel better about the 18 tablespoons of butter that is in it, but I guess if you eat half the cake by yourself then it doesn’t really matter…. Nine tablespoons of butter is still the same no matter how you slice it!

Ingredients:

• 3 lemons worth of finely grated lemon zest
• 3 TB fresh lemon juice
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (preferably unbleached)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup sour cream at room temperature
• ¼ cup milk at room temperature
• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 1 egg yolk at room temperature
• 18 TB (2 sticks plus 2 TB) room temperature unsalted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 TB poppy seed

Glaze:

• 2-3 TB lemon juice
• 2 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar

(Stir together the lemon juice and sugar until smooth and relatively thick. Add more sugar if the icing is too thin, or more liquid if it is too thick to pour over the cake.)

Procedure

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and position the oven rack in the center. Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan.
2. Combine the finely grated lemon zest and the lemon juice in a 2 cup measuring cup and let marinate while you combine the rest of the ingredients.
3. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add the vanilla, sour cream, and milk to the lemon mixture.
5. Whisk together the eggs and egg yolk in a small bowl.
6. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Then add half of the eggs and beat until combined, repeat with the second half of eggs.
7. Add one third of the flour mixture and mix until just combined, then add ½ of the lemon, milk mixture and mix until just combined. Repeat alternating the flour and milk until well mixed.
8. Bake the cake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with only a few crumbs clinging to the toothpick.
9. Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes invert the cake onto the cooling rack and allow the cake to cool completely. Glaze with confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice icing.