Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf Cakes
Try this Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf Cakes recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf Cakes recipe, or contribute your own.
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
- for the glaze:
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- grated zest of 3 lemons juice from 1 lemon
- 1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
- 3 cups, unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup, cold unsalted butter cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1-1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Carbohydrate 40.5200675172678 g
- Cholesterol 43.0295833506443 mg
- Fat 15.427873339795 g
- Fiber 0.409500000830811 g
- Protein 2.31072833435884 g
- Saturated Fat 9.1190690864392 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (114g)
- Sodium 163.757150006067 mg
- Sugar 40.110567516437 g
- Trans Fat 1.12943208368028 g
- Calories 302 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or spray four mini-loaf pans or the tops and cups of one muffin tin. (If using the mini-loaf pans, you'll have a little extra batter for a few muffins; you also may have a little extra batter if you use the muffin tins.)
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar and the lemon zest, rubbing the zest into the sugar with your fingers.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, eggs, sour cream, cream and vanilla. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Add the sugar-lemon zest mixture to the flour and mix for about 30 seconds on a low speed.
- On low speed, add the cubed butter to the flour mixture; cut in for a few minutes, until the butter is the size of peas. Add the poppy seeds to the flour-and-butter mixture and mix for 30 seconds.
- Create a well in the center of the flour-and-butter mixture and pour in the liquid ingredients. Mix on a low speed until the flour is combined; just a few rotations. Remove the bowl from the mixer and using a rubber spatula, gently stir the mixture to ensure that you've gotten all of the flour from the bottom of the bowl.
- With an ice cream scoop or a large spoon, fill the muffin tin or mini-loaf pans about ⅔ full. Bake the tin or pans in the middle of the oven until lightly, golden. A toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf or muffin should come out clean when done. The muffins bake in about 20-25 minutes. The mini-loaves take about 40 minutes, but begin checking them at 30 minutes.
- Let cool for 10 minutes and then remove from baking pans and cool for 20-30 minutes on wire racks.
- Make the glaze: combine the lemon juice and confectioners sugar in a small bowl. Using a small spoon, drizzle over the baked cakes or muffins.
While standard supermarket lemons deliver a sharp, highly acidic profile geared primarily toward savory applications, Meyer lemons offer a sweeter, distinctly floral aromatic footprint that shifts citrus baking into entirely different territory. Rubbing the fresh citrus zest directly into granulated sugar releases the essential oils trapped within the peel, forcing the volatile aromatics to bond with the sugar crystals before the wet ingredients ever touch the bowl. When scaling this batter up or down for varying yields, maintain the precise ratio of heavy cream to sour cream to ensure the crumb structure retains its characteristic tender density.
- Incorporate cold unsalted butter cut into one-inch cubes and process on low speed until the pieces resemble the size of small peas, which creates pockets of steam during baking for optimal crumb rise.
- Mix the liquid components separately in a medium bowl before creating a well in the center of the dry ingredients to prevent overdevelopment of the gluten network.
- Stop the mixer as soon as the flour is incorporated, finishing the fold manually with a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl and prevent hidden flour pockets.
- Bake mini-loaf pans in the middle of a 350-degree oven for approximately forty minutes, beginning visual checks at the thirty-minute mark for a light golden exterior.
- Allow the baked items to rest in their pans for ten minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely for an additional twenty to thirty minutes prior to glazing.
Drizzle the confectioners sugar and fresh juice mixture over cooled surfaces so the glaze sets firmly instead of melting into the crumb. Storing the finished cakes in an airtight container at room temperature preserves moisture for up to three days.
