Poppyseed Cake

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Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 tbl lemon zest

1 cup butter room temp

4 large eggs lightly beaten, room temp

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cup milk room temp

4 tbl poppy seeds

For Lemon Curd

1 cup sugar

5 tbl cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tbl lemon zest

5 eggs yolks

Frosting Click here to choose a frosting. Use either buttercream or cream cheese frosting.

Pineapple Flowers

1 whole fresh pineapple

Cake Instructions:

Spray three 8-inch round cake pans; line each with parchment paper. (see note below for using baking strips)
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
Mix lemon zest with sugar until fully combined.
Add butter to sugar mixture and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Drizzle in eggs, a little at a time, beat until combined, about 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla until combined.
On low, alternately add reserved flour mixture and milk
Fold in poppy seeds with rubber spatula.
Divide batter evenly among the prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean. Transfer to wire racks to cool, 15 minutes. Turn out cakes, and cool completely.

Lemon Curd Instructions:

Over a double boiler, mix together sugar, salt and cornstarch.
Slowly add boiling water, egg yolks, lemon juice and zest. Cook until thickened (about 10 min)
Cool, cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until needed, up to 4 days.

Using Baking Strips:

If you want a cake without a dome in the middle and one that won't get dark around the edges, you will want to use baking strips. You can buy them, but it works just as good to make your own.

Cut a strip of an old towel sized to just fit around your pan. (Or use layers of newspaper)
Cut out a piece of foil about two inches longer than your towel strip and about 3 1/2 times wider than your cloth.
Soak the towel in water, squeezing out some so it is soaked but not dripping wet.
Set the towel on the foil and wrap so that the towel in encased in the foil.
Wrap the baking strip around your cake pan and crimp the extra foil at the ends to seal. Bake as usual.

Cake Assembly:

Once cakes are cooled, set the one cake on a platter. Fill a piping bag with frosting and create a barrier around the edge to hold the curd. Add curd to the middle and top with the next layer. Repeat for all layers. Top with dried pineapple flowers and pineapple leaves (see below).

Pineapple Flowers:

Pull out some of the green pineapple leaves and wrap them in a wet paper towel and place in a baggie to use later as leaves for your dried flowers. (However, remind your guests not to eat them )
Trim a fresh pineapple. Cut off the top and the bottom. Stand on end and carve down the sides to remove the outer layer.
Lay on its side and cut thin slices leaving as a full circle without removing the middle.
Pat each slice dry with paper towel. If you want, you can gently press to flatten or even out the pineapple disk.
Place on a baking sheet with parchment paper in a 200 degree oven for about 2 hours, flipping every 30 minutes.
Remove and place into muffin tins to help create the flower shape.
Leave out to dry overnight.