Poppy Seed Snack Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Poppy seed cake is one of those desserts that folks either love or hate. To be honest, I find it strangely flavorless, but because others do enjoy it, I include new recipes for it whenever I can. Almost all recipes that use poppy seeds suggest they be soaked for 30 minutes before being used. This is done to make the seeds easier to digest. It does nothing to remove the scant trace of opiates the seeds contain, so if you are going to take a drug test, avoid eating anything made from them for at least a day before the procedure. If used in sufficient quantities, poppy seeds impart a lovely nutty quality to baked goods. Unfortunately, most recipes don't use enough of them to make that evident. I've spoken to you in the past about Hannie's German kitchen. She did a great deal of baking with poppy seeds, but went further than most with their soaking. She kept them in milk for 24 hours before using them. She insisted the long soak released their flavor. I do the same, I suspect out of respect for Hannie, not because I'm convinced it makes a difference. I first had today's cake in the home of a friend who was kind enough to share the recipe with me. Good deeds should be played forward, so I'm passing the recipe on to you. Here's how this version of the cake is made.

Poppy Seed Snack Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
Cake
1/3 cup poppy seeds
1 cup milk
4 egg whites
3/4 cup shortening
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Cream Cheese Frosting
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.
2) Place poppy seeds in a small bowl and soak in milk for 30 minutes. Place egg whites in a large bowl and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3) Cream shortening and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and almond extract.
4) Combine flour and baking powder; add to creamed mixture alternately with poppy seed mixture, beating well after each addition.
5) Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; fold into batter.
6) Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center of cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
7) To make frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter and almond extract together in a small bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Spread over cake. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 12-15 servings.








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