Orange Poppy Seed Cake

 

Yield:

Serves 12-16

Ingredients

1. For the cake:
2. =============
3. 3/4 cup all purpose flour
4. 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
5. 1 teaspoon baking powder
6. 1 teaspoon baking soda
7. 2 sticks (1/2 pound or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
8. 1 cup Demerara or granulated sugar
9. 3 eggs
10. 8-ounces sour cream
11. 1/2 cup poppy seeds
12. .
13. Orange Cream Cheese Topping:
14. =============
15. 4 oz cream cheese
16. 4 tablespoons butter
17. 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup
18. 2-4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
19. 1 tablespoon orange zest
20. 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

Directions

1. Grease a 9″ springform pan. Line the bottom with greased wax paper cut to size. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
3. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until the mixture is very light, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure to beat the batter until it is smooth after each addition.
4. Decrease speed to low and add half the flour mixture. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides with a spatula. Beat in the sour cream followed by the rest of the flour mixture. Fold in the poppy seeds to give the batter a final mix.
5. Scrape the batter into prepared pan and bake for about an hour or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the butter and beat until smooth.
7. Add the maple syrup, 2 tablespoons of cream, orange zest, and orange juice. Beat until smooth. Taste and add more maple syrup, if needed. Add more cream if necessary to achieve the desired consistency.

Notes