Two bites, cute as can be. With a tender, tangy crumb and poppies in every crummy bite, these cakes go fast.
Preparation:
To cook:
Level: Easy
Serves: 16
Ingredients
- 2-¼ cups Cake flour
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
- ¾ teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 cup Whole milk, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons Fresh lemon juice
- ¾ cups Unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1-½ cup Sugar
- 2-½ tablespoons Lemon zest (packaged)
- 3 Eggs, large and at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- FOR THE LEMON AND POPPY GLAZE:
- ¼ cups Sour cream
- 1-½ tbsp Fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoons Salt
- 2 cups Granulated sugar
- 1-½ tsp poppy seeds
- 2 teaspoons Lemon zest
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper and spray lightly to prevent cake from sticking. Put aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, poppy seeds, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
In a small bowl, whisk the milk and lemon juice. We’re making buttermilk, so the lemon juice will curdle the milk a bit.
In a large bowl and with an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest until fluffy, making sure to scrape down the sides. It should take 4 minutes, it’s long but the tender crumb of the cake is worth it in the end. Turn mixer to low, add eggs one at a time until incorporated, then add vanilla.
With your mixer still on low, alternate adding flour and milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour. With each addition, mix until just incorporated. The dough will look different from other doughs, slightly separated into several parts and that’s okay.
Pour the mixture into the cake pan and spread and smooth evenly with a spatula. On a kitchen towel on the counter, tap the pan several times to further even out and remove any air bubbles. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
The cake is done when a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Remove cake and let cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the cake (leaving the parchment paper in place) and let cool completely on a wire rack.
If you want to make cookies, dip a cookie cutter in powdered sugar and shake off the excess. Push cookie cutter through cake – as cookie cutter moves down, place fingers along top edge of cookie cutter. Lift the cookie cutter and cake and carefully loosen, then press and release the shape.
For the lemon poppy seed glaze:
Just before serving, in a small bowl, whisk sour cream, lemon juice and salt. Add ½ to 1 cup powdered sugar at a time until incorporated, then stir in half the poppy seeds and zest. Drizzle or drape over cakes, then garnish with remaining seeds and lemon zest.
Delight in baby cakes. Cakes will keep in an airtight container for about 3-4 days.
Recipe adapted from Bake From Scratch magazine.
