Vanilla Poppy seed bundt cake

As far as simple vanilla cakes go, this poppy seed bundt cake ticks all the boxes.

It’s simple to make, with only a quick glaze, if that, sprinkled on top before serving.

The ingredients are almost – poppy seeds here – everyday pantry staples.

The flavor is quite ordinary but not quite, with the crunchiness of the seeds and a tiny bit of almond extract.

It keeps well for quite a few days, though I don’t envision that will happen often.

So I guess I have a pretty solid argument, don’t you?.

I used my much loved, ridiculously simple powdered sugar glaze because it looks nice. It does add a great crunchy layer too.

But the essence of this beautiful vanilla poppy seed bundt cake stands well on its own.

That said, this glaze delivers big time, it’s the best ever, quick, two-ingredient glaze EVER. Just mix a cup of powdered sugar with your liquid of choice, anything from milk, cream, citrus juice (olive oil apple cake), liquor (lemon cream cake), wine (wine chocolate cake), honey, olive oil… and make it as thick or as runny as you want to. Yes, it’s that versatile.

My biggest concern always with bundt cakes is if they’ll unmold well, no pieces of yummy cake stuck here and there.

One of the best tips (from that fabulous baker that is Maida Heatter) I found is to butter or spray the pan and then coat it with a thin layer of fine breadcrumbs. So much better than flour!. The crumbs almost melt into the cake so you’ll still get a pretty smooth surface. I’ve been doing it for decades now.

I wanted to give you a simple vanilla cake. Of course, this is the recipe to let your imagination run. Maybe a citrus zest and a bit of liquor? Or some chopped, toasted nuts? Or even a fabulous chocolate glaze?. Let it be whatever you want it to.

Today, it’s vanilla poppy seed cake. And that’s fine with me.

Vanilla Poppy seed bundt cake

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• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 60 minutes
• Total Time: 75 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x

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Description

You can add citrus zest and/or olive oil to this cake. 

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 2 cups 400g sugar
• 1 cup 250g oil such as sunflower or canola
• 3 eggs (room tº)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 cups 405g all-purpose or cake flour
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups 375ml whole milk, at room tº

For the glaze:

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons liquor (I use Cointreau or orange juice or milk)

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Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC.
2. Butter or spray a 10-inch (26cm.) bundt cake pan and dust with fine breadcrumbs or flower, shaking off excess.
3. In a large bowl beat eggs with sugar until they begin to thicken, about 2 minutes.
4. Add oil in a thin stream while beating on high until it’s all combined, about 2 minutes.
5. Add extracts and sifted dry ingredients – flour, baking powder and salt – in 3 parts alternating with milk in 2 parts. You can sift the dry ingredients before or directly over the egg mixture.
6. Add the poppy seeds and mix everything well but do not over beat mixture at this point.
7. Pour into the prepared mold and bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
8. Let cool on wire rack and carefully unmold.

For the glaze:

1. Mix sugar with liquid until creamy and no lumps remain.
2. Pour over cold cake and let drip down the sides.
3. Keep cake at room tº wrapped in film paper o under a dome.

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Paula Montenegro

A baker for more than 30 years, I love testing recipes and sharing the best of what I find. I'm mostly self-taught with some time spent in baking school. I believe we can all be bakers and cooks with the right instructions and simple ingredients. If you're craving easy recipes with amazing results, you're in the right place. Let's get into the kitchen!