ABC de Natalie

K is for Kitchen

I am not a confident baker and I don't have a mixer so I beat everything with elbow grease, but when Susanna commented that I had not used the cake pan she bought me a year ago I shoved all my excuses aside and said to myself "It's time to make a f*#@ing cake!!"

Hankering for some poppyseeds I first looked to Smitten Kitchen ( aka 'ol faithful) for a recipe and was rendered aghast when I saw that her cake called for 8 freaking eggs! That's a few too many in the basket of a baker who's odds of screwing up are Huge. So I asked my baking friend Bethany about her recipe and she said she used the Moosewood Cookbook (ol' faithful before SK). Joy! It only had three eggs, odds we a little more in my favor...

Ukranian Poppyseed Cake - Moosewood Cookbook

Add 1 cup poppy seeds to 1 1/2 cups milk in a saucepan (poppyseeds are more expensive than I thought, ask around and see if a friend has a large jar they haven't used in a few years than borrow some - Thanks Holly!)

Heat to boiling point only. Remove from heat; let stand 20 minutes.

Meanwhile... cream 1 cup butter with 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in 3 egg yolks (save whites). Add 1 3/4 cups flour, 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt.( I used 1/4 tsp.) Mix well.

Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. (I have no idea what that means..I just beat the whites until my arm is tired of beating which is usually 30 seconds or so). Fold into butter mixture. Fold in poppyseeds and milk. ('Fold' also alludes me). Mix only until blended. Squirt in juice of 1/2 lemon.

Grease up your pan and make sure that oven is heated to 350

Bake for 35 minutes - if square 9" pan, 45-50 minutes if loaf pan, OR until toothpick comes out clean.

Et Voila!