It seems that when February rolls around, I’m inundated with birthdays! My mom and sister celebrate their birthdays early in the month and the rest of the month is dotted with even more birthday celebrations with friends. Inevitably, you know what this means. Cake. Lots of cake.
This year, I decided that I wanted to try and lighten up a few of the celebrations. I’ve offered to bring the cake to several of the parties, and I’m going to make one of my favorites: lemon poppy seed cake! Instead of a heavy frosting, this cake gets a tangy (but tasty) lemon glaze.
Do you have any celebrations coming up? Let me know if you try this cake out!
Yields: 16
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup poppy seed
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup fat-free buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lemon zest, freshly grated
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
For lemon glaze:
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more
confectioners' sugar, for dusting
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan, preferably nonstick, with cooking spray and dust with flour (or use cooking spray with flour).
2. Toast poppy seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until fragrant ( 3 to 4 minutes). Transfer to a plate to cool.
3. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Combine buttermilk, oil, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice in a glass measuring cup.
4. Beat eggs, egg whites and sugar in large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until thickened and pale, about 5 minutes.
5. Fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture with a rubber spatula, a third at a time, alternating with 2 additions of the buttermilk mixture. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly.
6. Bake the cake until the top springs back when touched lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
7. To prepare the glaze: Sift 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar into a small bowl; mix with lemon juice and water to create a thin glaze. Poke 1-inch deep holes all over the cake with a skewer. Coat the warm cake with glaze using a pastry brush. Let cook completely. To serve, set the cake on a serving plate and dust with confectioner's sugar.
Nutrition Information (per serving):
Calories: 204
Fat: 5.3 g
Sodium: 126 mg
Protein: 4 g
Source: RecipeZaar