Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake

As a self-proclaimed muffin and cupcake aficionado, I feel like I can just about make or consume any kind of individually portioned carb-laden concoction.

However, lemon poppy seed flavored goods were never my thing.  Not because I didn't like them, but because I didn't care to try them.  I'd convinced myself I wasn't going to like them anyway, so why bother?  Plus, I remember in college when the hipsters at the coffee shop refused poppy seed anything because of its supposedly adverse effects on a drug test.  I don't know if that's true or not, but as a closet nerd, I was definitely not going to risk the career of my dreams because a poppy seed bagel had turned me into a raging heroin addict.

You can tell how grounded in reason and logic I can be.

In my adventure to try and cook all new sorts of things, I decided on a whim a few weeks back to get a lemon poppy seed muffin from the local supermarket bakery.

Not bad.  Not bad at all.

I had once been denied the right to lemon-poppy seed love by my own stubborn brain.  But, I'm sure glad I rebelled against myself because it was super tasty.  So much so, in fact, that on my next trip to Denny's, I ordered up a special that included lemon poppy seed cake fried in an eggy batter and served with tangy, cloyingly sweet lemon cream cheese.

Turns out the word cake beats muffin any day.

So, I went home and set to work creating my own.  After searching through a bunch of recipes with boxed cake mix and boxed pudding mix, I finally found one that seemed to be as natural as humanly possible.  The lemon syrup helps keep this pound cake as moist as boxed mixes would and the lemony tang is potent but not overbearingly sour.

And, just wait and see what I do with this pound cake next....





Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake
(adapted from Cook's Illustrated)

2 sticks butter, melted
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup poppy seeds
2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Lemon Syrup:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar

Lemon Glaze:
1/2 cup Confectioner's sugar
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp lemon extract


Preheat oven 350F.

In a large bowl, combine all of the cake ingredients.  You may need to use a folding motion toward the end of mixing to distribute the poppy seeds as evenly as possible.

Pour mixture evenly between two greased and floured loaf pans.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Prepare syrup by mixing ingredients together in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir until sugar has completely dissolved and mixture thickens slightly.  Poke holes in the top of the cake with a skewer (while still warm) and pour the syrup over the cake, letting it absorb.

Combine the ingredients for the glaze in a bowl until you get a thick glaze consistency.  You may need to adjust the amount of milk for a thinner/thicker glaze.  Drizzle over the top of a completely cooled pound cake.