Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake

 

The Bat used to make this iteration of Charlotte Erickson's The Freezer Cookbook's pound cake fairly regularly for birthdays and Easter, and then, for about a decade, it fell by the wayside.

Now, however, it's making a comeback, with minor variations again. Because birthdays and Easter are cramming themselves into the same week, again. 

And, because it's simply a nice, refreshing springtime treat.




Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:
1/4 cup neutral oil and 1 3/4 cups butter (3 1/2 sticks), or 1 lb. high-quality margarine
1 lb. instant (superfine or caster) sugar*
6 eggs, unbeaten
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
finely grated zest of 1 fresh lemon (about 1 Tablespoon)
1 box (3.4 oz) vanilla or lemon instant pudding mix (I prefer vanilla)
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour**
1/4 cup poppy seeds

Lemon glaze:
2 cups confectioner's sugar
4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh, finely grated lemon zest

Directions:

for the cake:
Make sure oven rack is below center, with plenty of head room.
Preheat the oven to 300º F.

Lightly grease a 10-inch tube pan or two loaf pans.

In a stand mixer bowl, cream the butter until it's light and fluffy. Gradually add in sugar until fully combined.

Begin adding eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed for 1 minute before adding the next egg.

Mix in lemon juice and grated lemon zest.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, pudding mix, and poppy seeds. Add into mixer bowl, and, at low speed, mix until just combined.

Pour batter into pans and bake at 300º F : tube pan for 80 minutes, loaves for about 70 - 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.



Allow to cool at least 5 minutes** in pan before removing to glaze.

for the glaze:
While cake is cooling, make glaze by combining powdered sugar, lemon juice, and zest in a small mixing bowl. Stir until smooth. Brush or pour over cake. Allow to set up an hour or two or overnight to form a thin crust, or serve fresh and gooey.




*If you don't have superfine sugar on hand, you can make your own in a food processor.

**You can substitute gluten-free 1:1 all purpose flour, or even a combination of 2 1/2 cups regular flour and 1/2 cup almond flour, for a guaranteed-tender and moist cake. If you do this, though, (a) use a parchment liner in the pan, and (b) let the cake completely cool before removing from the pan.