Tea Time? Try This Light, Lemony and Crunchy Poppyseed Cake

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Can a cake be light and moist and dense all at the same time?  It seems to me that this one is.  As you probably recall, I’ve long had a love affair with lemons. Is there anything which a squeeze of lemon doesn’t improve?  In this recipe, lemons provide a refreshing zing, maple syrup a lush sweetness and poppyseeds, the crunch. While there are hundreds of versions of poppyseed cake, most of central and eastern European origin, few are as simple as this vegan recipe. A note of caution: while this cake won’t get you high, people have tested positive for banned substances after eating quantities of poppyseed bagels and desserts. Forewarned is forearmed! Recipes for the cake and a maple-lemon glaze are after the jump…

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LEMON POPPYSEED CAKE

Preheat oven to 350˚/ Yields a 9-10 inch cake, about 12 pieces

Dry ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup corn flour

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon poppyseeds

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch salt

Wet ingredients:

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 3/4 cups water, or as needed to make a fluffy, pourable batter

3 tablespoons lemon juice

grated zest of 1 lemon

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1. Measure the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir together well.

2. Measure the wet ingredients into a blender bowl, and blend briefly on high speed.

3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir well to combine.

4. Pour this batter into a lightly-oiled 9-inch square or similar sized cake or loaf pan.

5. Place on the center shelf of a preheated 350˚ oven and bake about 25 minutes (start checking after 20 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry.

6. Cool before attempting to cut. Kick it up a notch with an icing or glaze, such as the recipe below.

For the glaze: Combine 3 tablespoons lemon juice with 7 tablespoons maple syrup in a small sauce pan.  Bring to a boil, then simmer rapidly, stirring constantly, for 5-6 minutes or until the mixture is reduced by half.  Cool for 5 minutes, then pour over the cake, using a plastic spatula to spread the glaze evenly.

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