Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt from The Lemonade Cookbook - I Like Big Bundts 2013 - Day 5

Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt

I Like Big Bundts - Day 5

Welcome to Day 5 of I Like Big Bundts 2013! I'm counting down to National Bundt Day on November 15th and I hope you join me in baking and sharing a bundt with your friends, family and co-workers. Nothing like bringing a Bundt to breakfast, snack or dessert time!

Salads at Lemonade in Downtown Los Angeles, from 2010

Today's Bundt comes from the brand new and highly anticipated The Lemonade Cookbook by Alan Jackson. Lemonade is a great casual dining restaurant or "modern cafeteria" in Southern California and I love it! Read about my first visit on this post from October 2010.

Alan Jackson also brought So Cal The Farm of Beverly Hills restaurants and is the son of LA radio host Michael Jackson (who knew?!) He describes the food as "Southern California comfort food" - that's a perfect term! Lemonade has a bunch of great salads, braised meats, sandwiches, soups, and desserts. Of course, there are also a slew of yummy lemonades to pick from including Cucumber Mint Lemonade (my favorite) and Ginger Peach Lemonade (second favorite!)

I'll be making some other desserts and savories soon - including the to-die-for Cauliflower, Golden Raisin, Almond and Curry Vinaigrette salad. That is soooo good, and I can't wait to make it at home.

I think this cookbook would be a great holiday gift - to those in Los Angeles, and well as those who want a taste of Los Angeles. And Lemonade is now in Terminal 5 (Delta) so if you are at LAX in my fair city, grab a bite (I just had some breakfast before my flight to Seattle last month!)

Lemonade's Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt is filled with poppy seeds, lemon zest and topped with a lemon glaze!

The Bundt uses 1/2 cup (yes, half a cup or 8 Tablespoons) of poppy seeds. It's filled with poppy seeds! Lots of other recipes call for 2 or 4 Tablespoons, but this has 1/2 cup. That's a full spice jar of poppy seeds. If you want to stretch your poppy seeds (my jar of organic poppy seeds was $6.25), you can get by with 1/4 cup or 4 Tablespoons of poppy seeds too. The recipe uses cake flour so the crumb is soft and tender.

The lemon juice and powdered sugar glaze is really important. The cake itself only has the lemon zest, so you need the glaze to give it more lemon flavor. I used organic lemons from Trader Joe's.

I get lots of questions about how to prepare the Bundt pan so that the cake comes come easily. First, I have had disasters in the kitchen too - with half the cake stuck in the pan...so you are not alone! I use Pam with Flour spray (It is labeled BAKING and there is a picture of a BUNDT cake on the bottle). This is different than regular Pam - it has flour in it so it takes the place of greasing and flouring a pan. You can also carefully rub soft or melted butter all over the pan (be sure to hit all the curves) and sprinkle flour in the pan, knocking it around to cover and then dumping the excess flour. Finally, you might also try melting butter and then adding flour to the melted butter to create a slurry. Apply this to the pan with a pastry brush. Unless the recipe tells me different, I usually let the pan sit for 15 minutes on a cake rack before inverting it for completely cool.

There are many, many poppy seeds in this recipe. Did I tell you the story of me failing a drug test because of poppy seeds? Really, it happened (not just a Seinfeld Elaine myth). About 10 years ago, I had two pieces of whole wheat bread with nuts and seeds - including lots of poppy seeds - for breakfast and then another two pieces for a sandwich at lunch before taking the test. Imagine my surprise when they called to tell me I tested positive for opiates! We went through my diet, realized what happened, and I took it again in a couple days! She did say that the test they used was ultra-sensitive, and it was 10 years ago so technology may have changed...but just wanted to give you a little warning!

Have you dusted off your Bundt pan? Find it this weekend so you'll be ready for National Bundt Day on November 15th! See you tomorrow for another Bundt! - mary the food librarian

I Like Big Bundts 2013 (so far)
Day 4: Moosewood's Fresh Apple Spice Bundt Cake
Day 3: Butterscotch Bundt Cake
Day 2: Ultimate Lemon Pound Cake Bundt
Day 1: Orange Marmalade Jubilee Bundt

Recipe: Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt from The Lemonade Cookbook (page 209)
Find it on Amazon or in your local library!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of The Lemonade Cookbook from the publisher, St. Martin's Press (retail value: $30.00). All opinions and reviews are my own.

Bundt:
3 cups cake flour (I used 12 ounces)
1/2 cup poppy seeds (I used a jar of organic poppy seeds. I feel you can use less poppy seeds too)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
2 cups (400 grams) sugar
4 large eggs, room temp
3 Tablespoons lemon zest (from 3-4 lemons, try to use organic lemons)
1 cup milk or buttermilk (I used buttermilk)

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons, depending on size)

My directions (slightly altered from the book's directions):
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 12-cup Bundt pan with Pam with Flour or by greasing and flouring it.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Add the poppy seeds and whisk the mix together.
3. In a small bowl, measure the sugar. Add lemon zest, and rub zest and sugar together with your fingers.
3. In a bowl of a standing mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar/zest together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl.
5. On slow speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and the milk to the creamed butter and sugar mixtures in 2 additions. Beat for 1 minute after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the cake's structure. Mix until the batter is smooth.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth surface. Tap pan a few times to release air bubbles. Bake in oven for 60 to 90 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean and the cake springs back when touched.
7. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes and then invert onto wire rack until completely cool.
8. Mix the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. Add more juice or powdered sugar to get a thick, but pourable glaze. Pour glaze over cooled cake and let dry 30 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!