There’s nothing like a classic lemon poppyseed combo to brighten your weekend! # 206: Lemon Poppyseed Snack Cake

You know the joy of having something fit together just perfectly? The universe was telling me to make this cake and here’s the proof:

• I found a box of free lemons from a neighbor’s backyard on my daily walk
• There was just a spoonful or two left in my jar of poppyseeds
• My new fluted loaf pan was making eyes at me when I walked into the kitchen with a lemon in each hand

Meant to be, am I right?

I don’t know about you but this week was a little rough. Trying to get out of my head a little, I ended up walking to Trader Joe’s in Rockridge and saw a sign along the way the summed up my thoughts exactly:

Raise your hand if you’ve ever had a crappy Tuesday, but felt like you don’t deserve to feel sorry for yourself since other people have it worse off than you. This sign and I would like to give you permission to give yourself some grace. Acknowledge the stupid day and don’t add guilt to the pile. And maybe make a cake – it’ll help!

I know the jam ruined the effect but who cares about pretty pictures when you get a bite full of tart homemade plum jam? Worth it.

The decorative indent in the center of the pan made it look like the cake sunk in on itself (eek!) but I think the effect would be less pronounced if I’d actually filled the tin fully. Small cake problems.

The recipe called for a pinch of turmeric to add more of a yellow color to the batter. Such a good idea! It also helps curb the sweetness a lil bit.

One-handed pictures = upside down zesting. You know I flipped that microplane around the second I put the camera down! If you’ve been following along for awhile, you’ll know that Weezie (neighborhood chef extraordinaire) changed how I zest any citrus for a recipe. If you have the microplane on top, the zest gathers in a pile and you can measure out exactly how much you need. It’s also easier to handle so you have more control and don’t risk scraping your fingers.

Squoze should be a word. Sounds much better than squeezed!

Almost a one-bowl bake, gotta love it.

Well, guess I’ll double the recipe next time. But hey, it’s a snack cake so it doesn’t need to be super tall!

Voila! I 100% held my breath while turning it out.

This cake plate had a little raised edge to it, so it worked perfectly as a guide when I was cutting it into layers.

Oo la la!

Yes I know that’s too much jam but I was feeling rebellious. If you’re going for looks, use about a quarter cup to make a thin layer that doesn’t ooze out the sides.

What’s up jam sandwich!

You gotta.

Snowcapped mountains in Oakland – a miracle!

Happy munching!

Recipe inspiration from: Mei Yee’s Instagram account @nm_meiyee