Tag: almond poppy seed loaf cake

Almond Poppy Seed Loaf Cake

Poppy seed-related baking reminds me of my dear grandma Zella, the woman who taught me how to bake when I was a kid. She was Hungarian, and poppyseeds are prevalent in Eastern European baking; she certainly made a delicious poppy seed roll at Easter.

This loaf cake is a simple and tasty creation that I bet my gram would have loved. I found the recipe at Crazy for Crust, and for a moment I thought about adding lemon zest into the batter. Lemon and poppy seed are great together, but I’m glad I left this with its simple combination of almond and poppy instead – it was absolutely delicious. I did add more almond extract than the original recipe, because I like a stronger almond flavor.

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons almond extract
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds

For the glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 – 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 5 loaf tin with baking spray, or grease and flour it.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk melted butter and sugar. Add eggs, whisking between each, and whisk in extracts.
Whisk in about half the flour mixture, then about half the milk. Repeat with the remaining halves and then stir in the poppy seeds.
Spoon batter into the loaf tin and bake about 40 – 50 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. I covered by loaf at around 30 minutes of baking and the top was still a bit darker than I wanted – next time I’ll try to cover it earlier.
Remove from oven and allow to cool before glazing. To make the glaze, combine powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you get a thicker pourable glaze. Spoon over the top of the loaf and allow it to drip down the sides. Let glaze set before slicing; I wrap my slices in individual pieces of plastic wrap so I can take it to the office. Makes about 10 slices, depending on thickness.