Hey guys!
Sorry I haven’t been posting much here but I have been SO BUSY with Mrs.Clueless, which is an amazing thing of course!
Yesterday I woke up feeling a bit under the weather so I decided to stay at home. Of course, I can not sit and do nothing so I ventured into giving a lemon poppy seed cake a try!
I adapted the recipe from The Cake Blog and shifted it around a bit!
Ingredients for Cake
- 1 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp poppy seed
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk (Milk with one tbsp of vinegar)
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- zest of 1 lemon
- 3/4 cup boiling water
Directions for Cake
- Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease and flour two 8″ round cake pans and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, poppy seeds and cardamom.
- In a large measuring cup or mixing bowl, stir together the eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and lemon zest.
- Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Add the boiling water and stir to incorporate.
- Evenly distribute the batter between the two prepared pans. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes before removing the cakes from their pans.
Ingredients for Lemon Curd
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp lemon juice
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter, diced
Directions for Lemon Curd
- Place the juice, zest, yolks, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Stir to combine. While stirring, heat over medium. Continue to stir until mixture begins to thicken, about 6-8 minutes.
- Once thickened, remove from the heat and add in the butter. Stir to combine.
- Strain curd into a heat-safe container. Discard the zest.
- Cover curd by placing a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the surface of the curd. Refrigerate until cool and thick.
Ingredients for Meringue Icing
- 3 large egg whites
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Kitchen Torch (for toasting)
Directions for Meringue Icing
- Place the whites and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whisk to combine. Fill a medium saucepan with a few inches of water and place over medium heat. Place the mixing bowl on top of the saucepan to create a double boiler.
- Whisking constantly, heat the egg white mixture until the sugar dissolves and it is warm to the touch.
- Once warm, transfer the bowl back to the mixer. With the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high until medium-stiff glossy peaks. Add in the salt and vanilla and mix until combined. Use immediately.
Directions for Cake Assembly
- Place one layer of cake and create a buttercream dam (optional) around the layer to avoid the lemon curd from dripping.
- Place the lemon curd in the middle and smooth it on the cake evenly.
- Place the second cake layer on top of the first, make sure it is placed evenly on top.
- Spread the meringue icing on the layered cake, you can create pointy edges, or you can smooth it out.
- CAREFULLY, torch your meringue to get the toasty effect.
There you have it! Don’t get intimidated with all the above steps as i just segmented them to make it easier to read! It is a delicious cake and looks extremely impressive and presentable if you are hosting!
Pinch of Love,
Mrs.Clueless