meyer lemon

Mini Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cakes

When you buy a bag of Meyer lemons, you need to use that bag of Meyer lemons.  I made these lovely lemon pudding cakes a few weeks ago and loved the flavor of the Meyer lemons, sweeter than a regular lemon but still tart.  How could I go wrong by using them in a lemon pound cake?

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I’ve been on a kick with this cookbook lately.  It’s a great resource and it’s where I found the recipe for this pound cake.  I’ve made a cold oven pound cake before that is really special, but is pretty involved, whipping egg whites and such.  This cake come together quickly and uses a food processor to mix the wet ingredients so that curdling isn’t an issue thanks to the quick mixing speed.

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You can make this pound cake in an 8-inch loaf pan or in mini loaf pans, which is what I chose to do so that I could give these as gifts.  I added lemon juice, lemon zest and poppy seeds to the classic pound cake recipe to make these cakes.  From what I can tell, this would create a fantastic plain pound cake as well and I’ll probably be trying it soon.

The flavor of this cake is perfectly lemony.  The texture is light and the crust is slightly crunchy and totally delicious. I think it’s sugaring the pans, one of my favorite things to do with quick breads, and now with pound cake.  The small loaf pans allow you to have a small piece that still looks complete instead of cutting a larger piece in half.  I think these would be perfect for a brunch, bay shower, tea party, etc.

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Mini Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cakes

Adapted slightly from America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Makes 1 8-inch pound cake or 4 mini loaves

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 4 teaspoons Meyer lemon juice
  • zest of one lemon
  • 4 eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 sticks of butter, melted and hot
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 6-9 teaspoons Meyer lemon juice

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Grease and sugar your pan/s.
  3. To make the cakes: Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl, then set aside.
  4. In the food processor combine the sugar, lemon juice, zest, eggs and vanilla and mix until combined, about 10 seconds.  With the processor still running, pour in the melted butter through the tube in a slow, steady stream.  Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
  5. Sift 1/3 to half of the flour mixture over the wet ingredients and whisk until almost no flour is visible.  Repeat with the remaining flour in 1 or 2 more additions.  Whisk in the poppyseds just to combine and be careful not to overmix.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan/s.  If you use mini loaf pans, 2 cups of batter each is about right.
  7. Bake for 40 minutes (for mini loaves) and 50-60 minutes for an 8-inch loaf until a cake tester comes out with a few crumbs.
  8. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.
  9. To make the glaze: after sifting the sugar add lemon juice, start with 1 tablespoon, then add juice one teaspoon at a time until it reaches the consistency you desire.  Drizzle onto the cooled cakes.

Meyer Lemon Pudding Cakes

Happy Spring!  I know that spring has not sprung for some people, but it certainly has here in Houston.  I wore a sleeveless dress and sat outside with my kids at 6 in the evening enjoying the warm breeze and the last of the sunlight.  Now, if only it would stay just like this through August…

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These pudding cakes are a perfect spring dessert.  The flavor of the meyer lemon is fresh, tangy and sweet.  The texture of the cake is light and fluffy.  And the pudding layer is creamy without being the least bit heavy.  I was going to just have two bites of one of these this afternoon but ended up eating almost the entire thing.  I just couldn’t stop.

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I’d never made pudding cakes before today, and if you haven’t either you should really try them.  During baking the cake forms a top cake layer and a bottom layer of pudding-like goodness.  When inverted you get one of the most beautiful desserts that requires very little hard labor.  I adore desserts that look more impressive than they actually are!

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I made these in individual dishes since that suits us best, being able to eat one at a time.  But you can bake this in a 2 quart dish to serve to a group.  They are, however, incredibly lovely and impressive when served individually.  And, I have to say it again, they’re not difficult!  I don’t know why it took me so long to embrace the single serving dessert!  While it does mean more dishes in the end, it’s really special to get your own little serving, don’t you think?

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If you do make these in ramekins, be sure to grease them well before filling with the batter.  After baking, let them cool for about an hour, run a knife around the edge, place a plate on top of the ramekin and flip it over.  You may need to wiggle it just a little bit to get it to come out.  This is easiest when the puddings are at room temperature.  I tried to do it later in the day with one that had been in the fridge for a few hours and it didn’t come out nearly as cleanly.  If you do make these ahead of time, let them come to room temperature before flipping.

If you don’t want to invert these little babies, you can serve them in the ramekins and they’re just as lovely.  Top with a little whipped cream and lemon zest.

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Meyer Lemon Pudding Cakes

From Best Lost Recipes

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs, separated, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • zest of 2 meyer (or regular) lemons + extra zest for garnish
  • 1/4 cup meyer (or regular) lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • whipped cream for garnish, optional

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease a 2 quart baking dish or 6 6-ounce ramekins.
  2. In a medium sized bowl beat egg whites to stiff peaks, set aside.
  3. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
  4. Scrape down the bowl and add egg yolks, beating to combine.
  5. With mixer on low, add the flour and salt, lemon juice, then the milk.  Mix until just combined.  Scrape down the bowl.
  6. Fold in egg whites with a rubber spatula until egg whites are incorporated but still visible.  The batter will look a little strange and lumpy, this is normal!
  7. Pour into prepared pan or ladle into ramekins.
  8. Place pan or ramekins into a large baking dish, fill with boiling water halfway up the sides on the dish then put in the oven.  Bake for 35-45 minutes if baking in a large dish, 25-35 minutes in individual dishes.  Puddings are done when the top is golden and the center springs back when lightly pressed with your finger.
  9. Take dish or dishes out of the water bath and let cool on wire racks, about 1 1/2 hours.  At this point serve the puddings or cover and refrigerate up to 2 days.  Let come to room temperature before inverting onto the plate.  Garnish with lemon zest and whipped cream.