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Ingredients
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 5 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, soft
- 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) coconut oil or shortening
- 2 cups Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
- 5 large eggs, separated with no yolk traces in egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest from 5 large lemons, no white bitter pith
- 1 cup buttermilk, must be at room temperature
- Cream Cheese Frosting, optional
Decoration
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 pint blackberries
- 1 pint blueberries
- Pre-made purchased candy flowers
- Edible flowers, optional
- *Spoon & Sweep method: Use a spoon to fill measuring cup with flour until required amount is obtained. Scooping measuring cup directly into flour bag will firmly pack flour resulting in too much flour required for recipe.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour three 8-inch cake pans and fit a round sheet of parchment on bottom to for easy removal from pans.
- Sift together flour and baking soda. Stir in poppy seeds and set aside.
- Using a stand or handheld mixer combine soft butter and coconut oil (or shortening). Mix until well blended, however, coconut oil pieces can still be visible before adding sugar.
- Add sugar and mix until very creamy and coconut oil is completely blended in before adding yolks.
- Add one egg yolk at a time waiting for previously added yolk to be fully incorporated.
- Scrape bowl well and add vanilla and lemon zest. This mixture needs to be very fluffy and creamy. If not, run a hair dryer on sides of bowl while mixing.
- Add 1/4 of dry ingredients and once combined add 1/3 of buttermilk. Add another 1/4 of dry ingredients and once combined add another 1/3 of buttermilk. Repeat steps until all incorporated.
- In a separate bowl whip egg whites until medium stiff. As soon as they are whipped, fold them gently into batter until combined.
- Divide batter evenly into pans and spread surface evenly.
- Place in oven and bake until center of cakes bounce back when lightly pressed with a finger and until you see cake retracting from sides in a few areas. About 25-28 minutes.
- While still warm, turn baked cake upside down onto plastic food film. Do not remove parchment paper from cakes yet.
- Once cakes have cooled, using a serrated knife, trim away brown top surface of cake layers. Remove parchment paper from a cake layer and place on a serving platter.
- Spread cake layer with 1/4 of cream cheese frosting and cover with another cake layer.
- Cover with 1/4 of cream cheese frosting and cover with remaining cake layer.
- Frost sides and top of cake.
- Sprinkle bottom edge of cake with poppy seeds.
- Decorate surface of cake with blackberries, blueberries, and candy/edible flowers.
- If desired pipe some dollops of cream cheese frosting on surface of cake.
Imperial Sugar Insight
Do not replace coconut oil with liquid type vegetable oil.
