Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Is it really June?! Time flies. It's crazy to think that I've been out of school for a little over a year and been working as a pediatric nurse for 8 months. It's amazing how much has changed. 

The brother has one year left as a teen. We had to celebrate a little early since he'll be off at camp on his real birthday. This year, he opted for a lemon poppyseed cake. I swear, the kid picks the weirdest things for me to make. Every other guy I know likes chocolate. But for the brother, I've done strawberry, white chocolate with raspberry, and now this. Gotta love him. 

The recipe is from Apple & Spice via Pinterest. I didn't change much, other than using whole eggs instead of just whites. And the brother vetoed the flaked almonds for decorating, so I used some extra lemon zest. Also, the original is all in metric units, so I'll give you the converted version. You're welcome. 

Basically, it tastes just like a lemon poppyseed muffin with frosting. It's pretty delicious if you're into that. It's moist, sweet, lemony, not too heavy. The brother was pleased with it, so I think that makes it a winner! 

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

For the cake:
2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 cup sugar
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 TBSP poppy seeds
3/4 cup unsalted butter
zest of 1 lemon
275ml buttermilk
5 large eggs

For the sauce:
1/2 cup sugar
75ml water
juice of 1 lemon

For the frosting:
8oz cream cheese
3/4 cup butter
5-6 cups powdered sugar
1 TBSP almond extract

• Heat the oven to 350*F and prepared 3 8-9" cake pans. 
• Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Gently mix to combine.
• Add the butter, lemon zest, and 200ml of the buttermilk. Beat on low until completely mixed. Raise the speed to medium and beat for an additional 1-2 minutes.
• In another bowl, combine the remaining buttermilk with the eggs. Whisk to blend thoroughly. 
• Add the egg mixture to the batter in 2-3 additions. Beat only enough to incorporate.
• Divide the batter between the three pans (it may seem a little thick).
• Bake for 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of your pans), until a toothpick comes out of the center clean. 
• Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before turning out.
• While the cakes are cooling, make the lemon sauce:
• In a small sauce pan, combine sugar, water, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
•  Generously brush the cakes with the lemon sauce while they are still warm. 
• Allow the cakes to completely cool before frosting.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter & cream cheese until light and fluffy.
• Gradually add the powdered sugar, scraping down the sides & beating well between each addition.
• Add the almond extract and continue to beat well for 3-4 minutes, until light & fluffy.
• I trust you can figure out how to assemble the cake!

Enjoy!

I seriously need to get back to cooking more. I've been eating like an unchaperoned 5-year-old at a birthday party. However, I've actually made some breakfast sandwiches and oatmeal cupcakes recently. They were pretty good... I'll TRY to get those posts up soon!

Almond Sheet Cake

I'm really enjoying the opportunities I've had recently to bake, try some, and send the rest along to others so that it doesn't end up on my thighs.  This cake is another Pinterest find, and it's definitely a keeper!  I made it for my mother's work party and it was a huge hit.  The almond flavor is just perfect.  The cake is the perfect texture and wonderfully moist.  I topped my slice off with some fresh cherries, pitted and quartered.  However, it could be topped with any kind of berry, or nothing at all!  It's absolutely divine either way.   

Almond Sheet Cake

(from Sweet & Savory by Sarah)

Cake Ingredients:

1  c butter

1  c water

2  c flour

2  c sugar

1  tsp baking soda

1/2  c sour cream

2  eggs

1 1/2  tsp almond extract 

Icing Ingredients:

1/2  c butter

1/4  c milk

3 1/2 to 4  c powdered sugar

1  tsp almond extract 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 and spray a jelly-roll pan with Pam or something.  In a small saucepan, bring butter and water to a boil.  In your large mixing bowl, add the flour and sugar.  Pour the boiling water and butter mixture over the flour and sugar mixture.  Beat well (but be careful so that your batter doesn't go flying everywhere!).  Add the baking soda.  Add the almond extract.  Add the sour cream.  Add the eggs.  Mix again, scraping down the sides at least once.  Pour into your greased pan and bake for 20-30 minutes or until middle is set and toothpick comes out clean.  

Start your icing just before the cake is to come out of the oven.  Bring the butter and milk to a boil in a medium sauce pan.  Once boiling, remove from heat, and add the remaining ingredients to the sauce pan.  (I recommend adding the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, whisking between.)  Whisk until well mixed.  The consistency should be pourable, so be careful not to add too much powdered sugar.  Pour onto cake and let sit for at least 20 minutes before serving.