Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

When life hands you lemons, you are supposed to make lemon-aid, right? But what if life hands you two dozen regular lemons and two dozen Meyer lemons, all hand picked from someone's backyard tree?

Then, my friends, you must make lemon-aid, and lemon infused vodka, and lemon vinaigrette, and lemon cake. Lemon cake with poppy seeds and lemon glaze and very thin slices of Meyer lemon that become deliciously candied after sitting under the glaze over night, to be more exact.

Sweet and tart and delicious, this was the perfect accompaniment to Easter Brunch (radicchio mushroom quiche, sausage, greens, mimosas, coffee, and the Sunday Times -- oh my!) and added some definite sun to what was, in San Francisco, a very gray and blustery day.

 Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
3 egggs
grated zest of one large lemon (feeling zesty, I used two lemons)
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

I created the glaze for this cake on the fly, juicing and zesting one lemon, adding about 2 cups of powdered sugar (sweeten to taste), and a little bit of water to thin. Easy.

Preheat oven to 325. Generously butter and flour a 10 inch bundt pan, or if you can't find yours, use a 9 by 13 pan.
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into bowl, set aside.
Cream butter and sugar until mixture is very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Blend in lemon zest. Add flour mixture in three batches, then blend in sour cream. Mix in poppy seeds. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 55 to 65 minutes or until cake springs back when touched in the center. When the cake has cooled for about 10 minutes, drizzle with glaze. If you have access to a lovely Meyer lemon, consider slicing it thinly and arranging it on the top of the cake before brushing or drizzling with glaze. This adds a delicious (and not too sour) bite to the bite.