Poppy Seed Cake

Poppy Seed Cake (Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed., pg. 27). Also in Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts (Alfred A. Knopf, 1982, pg. 118).

I have made poppy seed cakes in the past but for some reason, I had never tried Maida's recipe. It is good but tasted a bit bland so I added a lemon frosting to give it a bit of oomph. Actually, a lemon glaze might have worked best, but this was good and got some raves from the folks at my workplace. 

This recipe was given to Maida by the chef of Chocolat bakery in San Francisco.

2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

8 oz unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

5 large eggs, separated, plus 1 additional white 

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup poppy seeds

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350. Use a plain tube pan (the kind that comes in two pieces) - do not butter or line the pan.

Sift together the first three ingredients and set aside. 

Cream the butter. Add 1 1/4 cups of the sugar (reserving 1/4 cup) and beat several minutes until light and creamy. Add the egg yolks and beat for 2 or 3 minutes, scraping the bowl as necessary.

In a small bowl, stir the sour cream, poppy seeds and vanilla together.

Beat about 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter. Add the sour cream mixture, beating only until incorporated. Add the remaining flour mixture.

In a separate mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the 1/4 sugar. 

Fold 1/4 of the whites into the batter but do not mix it thoroughly. Fold in another 1/4. Add the batter to the remaining whites and fold together until blended. 

Turn into the pan, rotate it briskly to level the batter and bake for 50-55 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

After removing it from the oven, turn it upside down on a wire rack to cool completely. After cooling, it is best to freeze the cake before removing it from the pan. After freezing, use a sharp knife to score around the sides of the pan and the center tube. Carefully remove it from the pan.