Poppy Seed Angel Food Cakes With Lemon Syrup

LEMON POPPY SEED CAKE

Steps:

• Pour the buttermilk into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, stir in the poppy seeds, and set aside at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly spray the inside of a Bundt pan with the baking spray and set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 cups of the granulated sugar on medium speed for about 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, the vanilla, and lemon zest, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Sift the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into a medium bowl. Add 1/4 cup of the lemon juice to the buttermilk mixture. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture in thirds, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula to be sure the batter is well mixed. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
• Meanwhile, place the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and the remaining 1/2 cup of lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until the sugar dissolves. Set aside. When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a baking rack set over a large plate. Spoon the warm lemon syrup slowly over the cake, allowing it to be absorbed into the cake. Set aside for at least 30 minutes to cool.
• For the glaze, whisk the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl, adding a little more sugar or lemon juice to make a smooth, thick, but pourable glaze. Drizzle over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Transfer to a flat cake plate and serve at room temperature.

LEMON POPPY SEED LOAF WITH LEMON SYRUP

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
• In separate bowl, whisk together flour, poppy seeds, lemon rind, baking powder and salt; stir into butter mixture alternately with milk, making 3 additions of flour mixture and 2 of milk. Spread in greased 8- x 4-inch (1.5 L) loaf pan.
• Bake in centre of 325 F oven for 1 hour or until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Place pan on rack.
• Lemon Syrup: In saucepan or microwaveable measure, warm sugar and lemon rind and juice until sugar dissolves. With skewer, pierce hot loaf right to bottom in 12 places; pour lemon syrup over loaf.
• Let loaf cool in pan for 30 minutes; turn out onto rack and let cool completely. Wrap and let stand for 12 hours before slicing. Makes 1 loaf, 12 slices.
• Make-Ahead Tip: Store at room temperature for up to 2 days or overwrap with heavy-duty foil and freeze for up to 1 month.

POPPY SEED AND LEMON ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sift the cake flour with 3/4 cup superfine sugar; set aside.
• Put the egg whites, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, the cream of tartar, almond extract and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on medium speed until frothy. Increase the speed to high, slowly add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
• Remove the bowl from the mixer and sift the cake flour mixture over the whites. Add the poppy seeds and use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour and poppy seeds until completely combined. Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch angel food cake tube pan and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Invert the pan and cool for 1 hour, then remove from the pan and turn upright onto a serving plate.
• Whisk the lemon zest and the remaining 3 tablespoons lemon juice with the confectioners' sugar and just enough water to make a smooth, pourable glaze. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake. Let the glaze set for 1 hour before serving.

LEMON POPPYSEED CAKE

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the poppy seeds, lemon zest, and milk. Set aside to soak for at least 1 hour or refrigerated overnight. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 6-cup loaf pan with wax paper. In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), whip the eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy.
• In a separate bowl, sift the dry ingredients together. With the mixer running, drizzle the oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract into the egg mixture. With the mixer still running, add alternating batches of dry ingredients and poppy seed-milk mixture to the egg mixture. The batter will be somewhat thin. Pour into the prepared pan.
• Bake 1 to 1 1/4 hours, until the center is raised and cracked and the whole cake is firm and dry on the top. Avoid opening the oven while baking. Do not under-bake or the cake will fall. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and continue cooling before serving.

LEMON-POPPYSEED SNACKING CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch cake pan with butter, line bottom with parchment paper. Grease parchment; coat inside of pan with flour. Set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter. Gradually add 2 cups granulated sugar; beat 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, until blended. Add the lemon zest; beat to combine.
• Beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the egg mixture. Beat to combine.
• Spread the batter evenly in the cake pan. Bake 35 minutes or until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack until completely cooled.
• In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Cook, stirring, over medium heat, until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Set syrup aside to cool.
• Using a wooden skewer or toothpick, poke holes 1 inch apart from each other in cake. Using all of the lemon syrup, brush the entire surface of the cake, allowing the syrup to run into the holes.
• Whisk together confectioners' sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice, until smooth. Spread over top of cake. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Garnish with candied lemon zest. Cut in squares; serve.

LEMON-POPPY SEED ANGEL CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F In a large bowl combine egg whites and cream of tartar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed 1 to 2 minutes or until frothy. Reduce speed to medium; gradually add 1/2 cup sugar. Increase speed to medium-high ; beat egg whites until soft peaks form (tips curl). Add poppy seeds, lemon peel, lemon juice, vanilla and food coloring. Beat 2 minutes more.
• In a separate bowl sift together cake flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold one-fourth of the flour mixture into the egg whites. Repeat, three times, folding in remaining flour mixture one-fourth at a time.
• Pour cake batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until cake top is lightly golden and springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert cake in pan; cool completely. Loosen sides of cake from pan; remove cake from pan. Just before serving, pour Lemon Glaze over cake. If desired, serve with dollops of thawed whipped dessert topping and additional finely shredded lemon peel.
• For Lemon Glaze: In a small bowl combine powdered sugar, lemon peel and lemon juice. Whisk until smooth.

POPPY-SEED ANGEL FOOD CAKES WITH LEMON SYRUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Set rings on a baking sheet and lightly spray insides with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat until whites just hold soft peaks. Beat in superfine sugar, a little at a time, and beat until whites just hold stiff peaks. Sift flour with salt over whites and gently fold in with remaining ingredients.
• Spoon batter into rings, mounding batter, and bake in middle of oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes (cakes will fall slightly during baking). Transfer rings on sheet to a rack to cool. Run a thin knife around edges of rings and gently remove cakes, transferring them to plates.
• Dust cakes with confectioners' sugar and spoon syrup around them.