Vanilla Poppy Seed Swirl Cake Food

POPPY SEED CAKE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, soak poppy seeds in milk for 30 minutes. Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes., In another large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder; add to creamed mixture alternately with poppy seed mixture, beating well after each addition. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; fold into batter. , Pour into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack., For frosting, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Spread over cake. Store in the refrigerator.

VANILLA POPPY SEED CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy with an electric mixer.
• Add egg yolks and beat until combined.
• Add sour cream and beat again.
• Mix baking soda into flour.
• Mix flour, vanilla and poppy seeds into butter mixture.
• Beat egg whites until stiff.
• Fold gently into butter mixture.
• Pour batter into ungreased bundt pan.
• Bake about 1 hour or until tester inserted into cake comes out clean.

LEMON POPPYSEED POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, lightly combine the milk, eggs and vanilla. In a large mixing bowl, preferably with the whisk beater, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest and poppy seeds. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and half the egg mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed (high speed if using a hand held mixer) and beat for 1 minute to aerate and develop the cake's structure. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Gradually add the remaining egg mixture in 2 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down the sides. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. The batter will be almost a 1/2-inch from the top of the 4-cup loaf pan. Bake 55 to 65 minutes at 350 degrees (35 to 45 minutes in a fluted tube pan) or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Be sure to use a wooden toothpick to test for doneness. (The cake will spring back when pressed lightly in the center even before it is done. If the cake is under baked, it will have tough, gummy spots instead of a fine, tender crumb.) Cover loosely with buttered foil after 30 minutes to prevent over browning. The cake should start to shrink from the sides of the pan only after removal from the oven. To get an attractive split down the middle of the crust, wait until the natural split is about to develop (about 20 minutes) and then with a lightly greased sharp knife or single-edged razor blade make a shallow mark about 6 inches long down the middle of the cake. This must be done quickly so that the oven door does not remain open very long or the cake will fall. When the cake splits, it will open along the mark.
• Shortly before the cake is done, prepare the Lemon Syrup: In a small pan over medium heat, stir the sugar and lemon juice until dissolved. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, place the pan on a rack, poke the cake all over with a wire tester and brush it with 1/2 the syrup. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a spatula and invert onto a greased wire rack. Poke the bottom of the cake with a wire tester, brush it with some syrup and reinvert onto a greased wire rack. Brush the sides with the remaining syrup and allow to cool before wrapping airtight. Store 24 hours before eating to give the syrup a chance to distribute evenly.
• Slice with a thin sharp knife into thin slices. Serve with Fresh Blueberry Glaze and lightly whipped cream.
• Rinse the berries and allow them to dry thoroughly on paper towels. Place the berries in a bowl. In a medium saucepan, stir together the arrowroot and sugar. Stir in the water and lemon juice and heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is clear and thickened. With arrowroot this will happen before the boil. Remove the pan from the heat and add the blueberries all at once, tossing until coated with the glaze. The berries will turn a bright blue. Empty the berries into a colander or strainer to drain away any excess glaze not clinging to berries.

VANILLA POPPY SEED CAKE WITH RASPBERRY TOPPING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F Generously grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan.
• For the Cake, mix first 8 ingredients in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl. Beat on medium speed 3 minutes. Gently stir in poppy seed. Pour into prepared pan.
• Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• For the Glaze, mix confectioner's sugar, water, butter and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract in small saucepan. Bring to boil on medium heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer 1 minute. Remove cake from oven; pierce cake surface deeply with a fork, about every inch. Spoon half of glaze over hot cake in pan. Let stand 10 minutes; invert onto serving plate. Spoon remaining glaze over cake. Cool completely before serving.
• For the Topping, mix raspberries and 1/4 teaspoons vanilla. Spoon sauce over each slice of cake before serving.

CHOCOLATE POPPY SEED CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease and flour a Bundt or angel food cake pan.
• Pour the poppy seeds into the buttermilk in a small bowl. Set aside to soak for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, whip the egg whites to medium peaks; set aside.
• Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time, blending well between additions. Sift the flour, baking soda, and baking powder into the egg mixture; fold gently to mix. Stir in the poppy seeds, milk, and vanilla extract. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites until just incorporated.
• Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle in the chocolate chips and cinnamon sugar. Pour the remaining batter over top, and sprinkle with additional cinnamon sugar. With a knife, lightly swirl in the chocolate chips and cinnamon sugar so they are dispersed throughout the cake.
• Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Allow cake to cool completely before removing from the pan.

POPPY SEED CAKE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the poppy seeds and milk. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and allow to rest until cool, about 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a large loaf or tube pan by greasing it with margarine and lightly flouring the inside of the pan.
• In bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together butter or margarine and sugar. Add egg yolks, vanilla, and poppy seed-milk mixture, and beat until smooth. Gradually add 2 cups flour, salt and baking powder. Mix well; remove bowl from mixer and set aside.
• Place a clean bowl in mixer, with a whisk attachment, and whisk egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gently fold into batter. Scrape into pan, and bake until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Transfer cake to a rack. Unmold after 15 minutes. When cool, dust cake with confectioners' sugar.