Lemon Poppy Pound Cake

Lemon poppy pound cake is perfect for the summer. It's the best vehicle for ice cream, fresh fruit, and whipped cream! Its super soft, buttery, has a perfectly thin lemon icing on top, and tons of poppy seeds throughout! It's so good and so easy to make. Plus, lemon poppy is one of the best flavor combination out there! There something so simple and clean yet super delicious about it... especially when its in a pound cake.

Pound cakes are naturally very buttery, which I totally love, but for the peak of summer I thought it would be nice to use up the tons of lemon I have lying around on my kitchen counter. One of my favorite parts that I love about this pound cake is the shatteringly thin icing that hardens on top of the cake. It super lemony so it packs a nice acidic flavor and it also adds a nice little crunch to the soft and tender cake.

Pound cakes are made a bit different than your traditional creamed cake. In a pound cake you don't cream together the butter and sugar to create an airy texture. You actually don't want an airy texture at all. Instead, you really want a tight crumb that is on the denier side but still manages to be create a light and tender cake. In order to do this the butter and eggs get creamed together with the flour. This "cuts" the development of gluten in the flour to make a soft pound cake with a tight crumb we all know and love. Another great thing about this method is that it comes together faster and you don't need to use a ton bowls!

Lemon Poppy Pound Cake

Ingredients:

Lemon Poppy Pound Cake

• 13 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

• 3 large eggs

• 1-1/3 cups cake flour

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1 tablespoon of baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

• zest of 1 lemon

• 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar

• 1 tablespoons of lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon of lemon zest

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 8"x 4" loaf pan with parchment paper. Give it a quick spray of nonstick cooking spray to ensure that it won't stick.

2. In a small bowl crack in your egg and lightly whisk.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment add in the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds just so that everything is mixed well. Add all the softened butter and half of your eggs.

4. Mix on medium speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining egg mixture in 2 separate additions. Be sure that the egg is fully incorporated before pouring in more. Finally, add in 3 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, and 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds. Mix on low until the poppy seeds are evenly dispersed but do not over mix. This should take about 30 seconds on low speed.

5. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown. Let the cake cool completely and in the meantime make your icing.

6. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest. Whisk until everything is combined and there are no lumps. If you're icing is too liquidy, add in 2 tablespoons to thicken it up to your liking.