Poppy Seed Cake

ACTIVE: 20 MIN
TOTAL TIME: 2 HRS plus 2 hr cooling
SERVINGS: Makes one 8-inch square cake

•MAKE-AHEAD
•VEGETARIAN

Lauren Chattman brings out the taste of the poppy seeds in this cake by soaking them in hot water. She lightly crushes the seeds in a blender before mixing them into the batter. (Recipe adapted from Cake Keeper Cakes.)

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3/4 cup poppy seeds
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 sticks (14 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the poppy seeds and cover. Let stand for 1 hour. Scrape the seeds into a blender and pulse until lightly crushed.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan, tapping out any excess flour. In a medium bowl, whisk the 1 1/3 cups of flour with the baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the butter with the granulated sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the poppy seed mixture and beat at medium speed until just combined. Add the eggs to the batter one at a time, beating well between additions. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake the cake for about 45 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert it onto a wire rack and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Dust the cake with confectioners' sugar, cut into squares and serve.

Make Ahead The poppy seed cake can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Poppy Seed Cake

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