Zucchini, Lemon & Poppyseed Cake with Lemon Frosting
As many of you have already headed full-force into Pumpkin Season, some of us (Moi), have one foot still firmly planted in the last few days of summer. Technically, summer doesn’t end until next Wednesday. And, given that the temps (I’m currently in KY) are well into the 80’s, frankly, it feels more like summer than Fall. So, for anyone with me on eeking out the last few days of summer, and for any of you who may still be harvesting the end of your zucchini crop, I have a cake for you! Honestly, this is a year-round cake. Zucchini is available pretty much all year long, and is a very accessible vegetable.
If you love Lemon Poppy Seed cake just as much as Carrot Cake, or visa versa, you are going to love this cake. It is a perfect hybrid of two classics. Grated zucchini steps in for the carrot that a traditional carrot cake relies on for moisture. However, the ample amount of grated lemon zest and nutty poppy seeds in the recipe are indicators that this recipe leans a little more toward a lemon poppy seed cake than carrot. This cake takes two classics, spins them together, cuts them by half, and voilà, a bright, tangy, and moist single-layer cake is born.
What I like most about this cake, besides the bright lemony flavor it exudes, is that the recipe makes a single layer cake. I like the informality and casualness of single layer cakes. One can only eat so much cake ;-), even when it is a really delicious cake. So, unless you are serving a large group, this recipe is perfectly sized at 8 to 10 servings.
(Just had to share with all of you something my daughter just said to me. While reading my post, she suddenly stopped and said, ‘wait, that cake had zucchini in it???’ I had to laugh. She had eaten several slices and never had a clue. So for any zucchini-adversed eaters out there, you won’t even know it’s in there.)
Zucchini, Lemon & Poppy Seed Cake with Lemon Frosting
For the Cake:
4 tablespoons poppyseeds
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1/3 cup milk
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
4 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup almonds, blanched and ground, or 2/3 cup almond meal
8 ounces zucchini, trimmed and coarsely grated
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
For the Frosting:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 to 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Preheat oven to 375˚F. Butter and line a 9-inch springform pan.
Put the poppyseeds and lemon zest in a small bowl. Heat the milk until hot, stir it into the poppyseed mixture, and let it cool while you make the cake mixture.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and ground almonds.
Cream butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat until incorporated. Fold in the zucchini followed by the poppyseed mixture.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff, then fold the egg whites into the cake mixture. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan, smooth top, and bake in the center of the oven for 45-50 minutes until cake is just firm to the touch and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean with no uncooked mixture sticking to it. Let cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack.
When cool, sift the confectioners’ sugar into a bowl, make a well in the center and add the still-hot melted butter. Start to mix, adding sufficient lemon juice, a little at a time, to make a spreadable frosting. Mix in the lemon zest, then spread over the cake. Allow to set for several hours before serving.
Adapted from Real Food Magazine, Winter 2015
Wait – that cake had Zucchini in it?
Also, what do you mean by the comment that one can only eat so much cake – that is just not true !
Count me in to celebrate the abundance of zucchini! Folded into a cake with lemon and poppy seed makes a sublime cake to enjoy with coffee or tea.
Oh, I wish summer would last longer! We are still waiting for our usual, late, Indian Summer. It has been darting around for the last week or two but can’t seem to get any traction.