TWD: Lemon Poppyseed Muffins with Strawberry Jam

You know that old saying about when life gives you lemons? Well, as much as I love lemonade I think I love lemon poppyseed muffins just as much - maybe even a little more. I have made this recipe I few times before now, but had never taken any pictures.  Since they were chosen by Betsy at A Cup of Sweetness for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe it certainly wasn't a hardship to make them again.  

For some reason which thoroughly escapes me though, I had never bothered to do one of the versions Dorie suggests in the book and fill them with jam.  I only had strawberry on hand and probably didn't add quite enough, but my goodness, let me tell you, there may very well be no going back! We literally gobbled them up and I had to hide them at one point in the day because Aidan was sneaking in the kitchen and being a total muffin muncher.  I really can't wait to make these again and use the seedless raspberry jam I just got.  If you haven't tried the muffins with a jam center, or even just put some on after baking, I highly recommend you give it a chance.

For more muffin madness, visit the Tuesdays with Dorie site!

Glazed Meyer Lemon Almond Poppy Seed Loaf Cake

This month The Cake Slice Bakers voted and the winning recipe to try was once again from Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman. The original recipe was for a Lemon Poppy Seed cake with Almond Cream Cheese Frosting. As you can tell from my photos, I deviated from there quite a bit, mainly just because I have absolutely no where to take a full size cake at the moment.

So, for my version of the cake I fiddled around and came up with a 1/3 recipe that I could bake in a loaf pan. I ended up making a few other changes as well and will share my very modified recipe soon - in the meantime, if you want it, just let me know in the comments.

Mainly, the changes consisted of using whole eggs instead of egg whites in the cake and adding almond extract as well as using a Meyer lemon for the zest. To top it off I made a simple glaze from powdered sugar, vanilla, Meyer lemon juice and a little heavy cream.

The cake was tender and had a nice lemon flavor to it along with a hint of almond. I also topped the cake with some sliced almonds for a little crunch, but I thought it was just as pretty without it.

To see the original cake and recipe you can visit the other Cake Slice Bakers!

Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf Cake

(Adapted liberally from original recipe found below)

1 cup cake flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon poppy seeds 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
zest and juice of 1 small lemon (I used a Meyer lemon for the glaze and the cake, thus the richer yellow/orange color to the glaze)
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract

Butter an 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 inch loaf pan, line the pan with a piece of parchment like a sling up both long sides and the bottom of the pan, butter the parchment and dust the pan with flour, tap out the excess and set the pan aside.

Preheat over to 350° F.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds. Rub the lemon zest together with the sugar in a small bowl, set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon-sugar and beat another 2 minutes until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs and almond extract and beat 1-2 minutes more, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the wet and dry ingredients, alternately, to the butter-sugar mixture, starting first with 1/2 of the dry ingredients, then the buttermilk, then the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just well combined with no dry spots. Pour and scrape the batter (will be very thick) into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until risen and lightly golden. Allow to cool in the pan 10 minutes, then use the parchment sling to remove the loaf from the pan and allow to cool to room temperature on a wire cooling rack. Prepare the glaze while the cake is cooling.

For the glaze:

2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

juice from 1 small lemon, reserved from making the cake

1/2 teaspoon vanilla, optional

milk or cream, as needed

Whisk all three ingredients together well to combine into a smooth, slightly pourable, thick glaze. Depending on the amount of lemon juice you get (I had about 1/4 cup) you may need to add more confectioners' sugar to get the thicker consistency, or a little milk or cream to thin the glaze down. The consistency is really just your preference and you could even just serve it like a sauce on the side in a small pitcher with individual slices.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Almond Cream Cheese Frosting (original recipe for 3-layer 8-inch cake)

(Recipe from Sky High Irresistible Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne)

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

3 cups cake flour

2 cups sugar

4½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

3 tbsp poppy seeds

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter

1 large lemon, zest and juice

1¼ cups buttermilk*

5 egg whites

1/3 cup water

Poppy seeds or flaked almonds to decorate

Almond Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter

5 cups confectioners sugar

1 tbsp almond extract

* If you don’t have buttermilk you can make your own by stirring 3 teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice into each cup of milk and leaving for 10 minutes.

Method

To make the cake, heat the oven to 350F. Grease three 8 inch cake pans and line the bases with parchment paper. Combine the flour, 1¾ cups sugar, baking powder, poppy seeds and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix gently to combine.

Add the butter, lemon zest and 1 cup of buttermilk to the flour. Beat on low until completely mixed. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1-2 minutes until lighter in colour.

In a medium bowl, combine the egg whites with the remaining ¼ cup buttermilk, whisk to blend thoroughly. Add the egg white mixture to the batter in 2-3 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating only enough to incorporate the mix. Divide the batter between the three pans.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cakes are golden brown, spring back when touched lightly in the centre, and a cake tester comes out clean. Leave to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning out.

While the cake layers are cooling, make a lemon syrup. In a small pan combine the remaining ¼ cup sugar, water and lemon juice. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Generously brush the cakes with the lemon syrup while they are still warm. Then allow the cakes to cool completely.

To make the frosting, in a large mixing bowl beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the almond extract and then continue to beat well for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.

To complete the cake, place one layer, top side down, on a cake plate and spread about a fifth of the frosting over the cake to cover evenly. Repeat with the second layer and place the third layer on top. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Garnish with your choice of flaked almonds or poppy seeds.

Makes 1 x 8inch triple layer cake. Serves 12-16

TWD: Rugelach

Chocolate, Dulce de Leche, Pecans, Cinnamon and Sugar

I have to tell you, I know I just said this about the pumpkin muffins, but I love that this group helps me to make things I've never made before. The difference between those muffins and this week's recipe for Rugelach, chosen by Piggy of Piggy’s Cooking Journal, is that as soon as I read the ingredients and story with this recipe, I couldn't wait to make it and I knew I would love it.

I have had this one bookmarked ever since I got my copy of Baking From My Home to Yours. I am so glad that the time came for these cookies / pastries. I can't stress enough how much I loved these. Making them, and of course, and especially eating them. Everyone that tried them really loved them too.

Almond Cream, Chopped Almonds, Poppy Seeds, Cinnamon and Sugar

I was so excited to make this that I knew that, much like the biscotti, I would want to have these available on hand as often as possible. The other fun part of this kind of recipe is the fact that you can make a big batch of these and freeze the bulk of it, then just have them on hand any time.

Also, I love that it gives me the opportunity to play around with different filling choices - and, since they are freezeable, that means I can bake a few of each kind on the same sheet and everyone gets what they love. Well, I guess everyone, unless you were actually expecting to see the raisins or currants here. Which, since you're probably as tired of hearing me say it as I am of saying it, but this is pretty much a no-raisin zone. Sorry raisin commission - nothing against you, but I just don't like the little buggers.

It was also really fun to find that Dorie had already posted about Rugelach a while back on her blog. You can not only read Dorie's post on her blog but you can listen to her baking these in her interview and baking session on NPR. I love it when they have those. It is just way too much fun.
So, for the variations I made this time around I went with the following:

- Almond cream (recipe in BFMHTY toward the back of the book), sprinkled with poppy seeds, chopped almonds, and cinnamon and sugar
- Dulce de Leche, , chopped pecans, chopped bittersweet Lindt chocolate, and cinnamon and sugar

I also have several variations planned and seem to be thinking up more and more as I go along. I can't wait to try:

- Seedless raspberry jam, coconut, chopped walnuts
- Chopped white chocolate, dried cranberries, chopped walnuts
- Salted butter caramel, chopped cashews

And on the savory side of life, since Dorie talks all about that on her blog, I really want to try:

- Shredded chicken, bbq sauce, shredded white cheddar, crumbled bacon
- Spinach and artichoke, parmesan, cream cheese, roasted garlic, cayenne
- Pepperoni, pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella
- Pulled pork, sweet vinegar bbq sauce