Lemon Poppy Seed Overload Cake

I had 8 egg yolks left over from a recent baking project so I searched the internet for a recipe to use them and I came up with this rather unusual lemon poppy seed cake.  The recipe is adapted from 3-star Michelin Chef Kurt Gutenbrunner.  The high ratio of poppy seeds lends a pleasantly nutty flavor and somewhat crunchy pop in every bite which leaves you wanting more and more.  On the flip side, the original recipe called for only enough lemon zest to lightly perfume the cake so I bumped up the lemon flavor with the addition of pure food-grade lemon oil.  All in all, the cake is dense yet light, dry yet rich, crunchy yet tender, not too sweet yet satisfying.  Quirky, unique, and utterly spectacular.

Don't be alarmed when you read the list of ingredients - they are correct.  Be sure to cover the cake pan with foil as directed, and don't over bake the cake - remove it from the oven as soon as a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.   If you like your cakes a little sweeter, feel free to add the optional glaze I've included below. One word of caution - the cake wants to stick to the pan badly and I have found Baker's Joy works perfectly to prevent that from happening. 

Beat egg, yolks, and sugar together until light and fluffy.

The mixture will look like this after 8 minutes.

Next the flour and cornstarch are sifted into the bowl.

Time to fold the sifted ingredients into the egg mixture.

Using a spatula, “cut” down through the middle…

Carefully sweep across the bottom of the bowl and up the side and over the top.

Repeat, turning the bowl 1/4 turn each time, until no trace of dry flour remains.

Now fold in the lemon oil, melted butter, and lemon zest.

Mmmm…. melted butter!

…. and lemon zest!

Lastly, sprinkle the poppy seeds over the batter, being careful not to deflate the batter.

Return the bowl to the stand mixer and let the whip distribute the poppy seeds.

Just look at all those seeds!!!

Use this magic stuff to coat the silicone pan - I promise, your cake will release perfectly!

Spray every nook. We don’t want any cake disasters!

Don’t be alarmed if the cake doesn’t fill the pan - it’s a short cake.

Cover the pan very well with nonstick foil (or foil that has been sprayed with oil).

The cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean and the cake starts to shrink away from the edges of the pan (note the cake doesn't rise much in the oven),

Wait 15 minutes before turning cake out of the pan.

This 7-inch wide, 2-inch tall cake is small in size, but BIG in flavor!

Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• stand mixer https://amzn.to/2UkbEd7

• lemon oil https://amzn.to/2YDSa2w

• poppy seeds https://amzn.to/2WyqwlO

• silicone bundt pan https://amzn.to/2HLEbCA

• baker’s joy https://amzn.to/2JVDgl0

• cooling rack https://amzn.to/2JOz4mT

• microplane zester https://amzn.to/2YErv5Y

• lemon squeezer https://amzn.to/2HPr2bE

• nonstick foil https://amzn.to/2FBUYEK

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Lemon Poppy Seed Overload Cake

makes 8 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

cake:

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 8 large egg yolks

• 1 large egg

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour

• 1/2 cup cornstarch

• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

• 2 tablespoon lemon zest (2-3 lemons)

• 2 teaspoon pure food-grade lemon oil

• 1/2 cup poppy seeds

optional lemon glaze:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

optional garnish:

• confectioners sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325F.

2. Prepare an 8-inch tube or bundt pan with Baker's Joy or other flour/oil baking spray (I used this silicone bundt pan).

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg yolks, whole egg, and sugar at medium high speed for about 8 minutes until the mixture is pale yellow and very fluffy.

4. Remove the bowl and whisk attachment from the mixer (you'll need the whisk attachment again in a few minutes).

5. Gently sift the flour and cornstarch over the egg mixture and use a rubber spatula to gently fold them in.

6. Fold in the melted butter, pure lemon oil, and poppy seeds too.

7. Return the bowl to the stand mixer and incorporate the poppy seeds.

8. Pour batter into prepared pan.

9. Cover pan tightly with non-stick foil (or buttered foil).

10. Place cake pan on half sheet pan and bake for 40-45 minutes.

11. Remove foil from pan and cool for 15 minutes before unmolding.

12. Make glaze by heating the sugar and lemon juice together until the sugar dissolves (without allowing the mixture to boil); brush over top and sides of unmolded cake.

13. Cool completely on a cooling rack.

14. If desired, sprinkle with confectioners sugar after glaze dries. Wrap leftovers well in plastic wrap and serve within 3 days.

adapted from Chef Kurt Gutenbrunner

Hearty Italian Wedding Soup

Brrrr - it's getting cold around here.  I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving, finished up all the leftovers, and is ready to start cooking again.  The outside temperature has plummeted and there are few meals better at fighting off a chill than a big bowl of heart-warming soup.  One of our family's favorite is Italian Wedding Soup.  I start by making homemade chicken stock, then I add lots of delicious goodies like incredibly flavorful bite-size turkey meatballs, sauteed vegetables, fresh spinach, and teeny tiny little pasta shapes.  Mmmm - it's so good.

This recipe requires a lot of prep, but it's worth it.  I like to make it on the weekend when I have time to chop veggies and roll mini meatballs to the likes of Beethoven or Bach.

Rather than add the precooked pasta directly to the soup pot, add it to the individual soup bowls just before serving so it doesn't overcook and get mushy.  Also, if you love this soup as much as I think you will, do yourself a favor and make a double batch of everything so you can have a freezer meal ready to go.  Just freeze separately the chicken stock, precooked meatballs, and precooked pasta that has been tossed with a little olive oil.  When you need a quick meal, just heat everything up and add sauteed carrots, celery, and chopped fresh spinach.  

ButterYum's Hearty Italian Wedding Soup

serves 10

Printable Recipes

Ingredients

Meatballs:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 cup finely minced onions

• 1 clove finely minced garlic

• pinch of salt

• 1 1/2 pounds of ground turkey

• 3 tablespoons Italian-seasoned bread crumbs

• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

• 3 scallions, thinly sliced

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2 eggs, beaten

Soup:

• 8 cups homemade chicken stock

• 4 carrots, diced

• 4 stalks celery, diced

• 5 ounces fresh spinach, tough stems removed and leaves roughly chopped

• 1/2 pound acini di pepe pasta, cooked (or other teeny pasta shape like stars, orzo, etc)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• Garnish - sliced scallions, chopped parsley, grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Directions

For the pasta:

1. Cook pasta in salted water until al dente (a few minutes shy of package directions).

2. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.

3. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and stir to coat; set aside until needed.

For the meatballs:

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the onions and a pinch of salt in olive oil until golden brown; stirring frequently.

2. Add minced garlic and stir constantly until very fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.

3. Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit before adding to the remaining meatball ingredients; mix well.

4. Preheat oven to 350F.

5. Form meat mixture into 80 1-inch meatballs (I use this #100 scoop) and place on greased or lined sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes; remove from oven and cool (no tasting at this point - they're not quite cooked through yet).

To make the soup base:

1. In a large stock pot, bring chicken stock to a gentle boil and add carrots, celery, and partially baked meatballs; cook for 10-15 minutes until carrots soften.

2. Add chopped spinach and cook an additional 5 minutes.

To serve:

1. Keep pasta and soup separate until serving so the pasta doesn't get mushy.

2. Place about 1/4 cup cooked pasta in a bowl and top with a hearty ladle or two of soup (8 meatballs per serving).

3. Garnish with sliced scallions, chopped parsley, and/or grated Parmesan or Romano cheese if desired.

Note

• Make a double batch and freeze some for a meal later. Simply freeze separately the chicken stock, precooked meatballs, and precooked pasta drizzled with olive oil. When you need a quick meal, just heat everything up, add sauteed carrots and celery, and chopped fresh spinach. Sometimes I replace the pasta with cooked wheat berries or quinoa.

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