With just the right amount of zing and tartness, lemon poppyseed pound cake is the most scrumptious cake you can make. As unsurprising as that statement may be, it is buttery, moist and abundantly dense in texture with a slight nutty crunch due to the poppyseeds and a simple hint of sweetness with the drizzled glaze icing that balances every slice.
Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake
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2 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup butter, softened
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
lemon juice of 1 lemon
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup poppyseeds
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup of milk
Lemon Glaze
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1 cup icing sugar
1 - 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
In a bowl whisk together the icing sugar and lemon juice until a runny pourable glaze has formed.
Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease and lightly flour a 12 cup bundt cake pan. Set aside.
In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, poppy seeds and lemon zest. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla with a handheld mixer on low speed for 1 minute, scraping the sides of the bowl constantly. Add the lemon juice and beat on high speed for 5 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
Beat the flour mixture into the buttery sugar mixture and alternate with milk on low speed, beating until just smooth after each addition. Pour or spoon the batter into the prepared bundt cake pan. Making sure the batter is spread evenly and level the best you can.
Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes in pan before removing to a wire rack. Cool completely. Sprinkle with icing sugar or drizzle with a lemony glaze, see recipe above.
Notes: This recipe can be baked in 2 loaf pans 9 x 5 x 3 inches, for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.