Poppy Seed Cake
from Denise Ellingson
Ingredients:
| 2½ | cups sugar |
| 1½ | cups butter milk |
| 1 | cup canola or other light vegetable oil |
| 3 | eggs |
| 2 | tablespoons poppy seeds |
| 1½ | teaspoons salt |
| 1½ | teaspoons vanilla extract |
| 1½ | teaspoons almond extract |
| 3 | cups flour |
| 1½ | teaspoons baking powder |
| ¼ | teaspoon baking soda |
Preheat oven to 350° F, setting rack to center position. Grease and flour loaf pans. Beat together all liquid ingredients, sugar, salt, and poppy seeds. Stir in flour a cup at a time, add baking soda and baking powder, and beat until smooth (about 2 minutes). Distribute batter evenly into loaf pans, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (see bake times below). Prepare glaze while baking.
Bake times:
| 2 | large loaf pans: bake about 60–70 minutes |
| 4 | medium loaf pans: bake about 40–45 minutes |
| 8 | mini loaf pans: bake about 30–35 minutes |
Glaze:
| 2 | tablespoons melted butter |
| ¾ | cup sugar |
| ¼ | cup orange juice |
| 2 | tablespoons lemon juice |
| ½ | teaspoon vanilla extract |
| ½ | teaspoon almond extract |
Whisk together all ingredients. Remove loaves from the oven, and brush glaze liberally over cakes. Leave cakes in pans until nearly cool and glaze is set. Allow to cool completely before wrapping. Cakes freeze well.