Easter just happened to fall on my skipper’s birthday this year, first time ever. And all he wanted was to attend Easter service at St. Mary’s then head across Spa Creek Bridge, hop on the boat and go for an afternoon sail with friends and family. Since his favorite Carrot Cake has already been featured on Galley Pirates, I thought I’d opt for his next favorite cake, Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake. This is not a traditional heavy pound cake, but much more moist, baked in a bundt pan. Sounds like the perfect birthday to me!

Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 heaping tbsp poppy seeds
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup lemon zest (3 lemons)
1 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 large eggs

For Lemon Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
1 to 2 tbsp milk or as much as needed

Spray a bundt pan with a generous amount of cooking spray (Pam for Baking would have been good. My cake stuck to the pan!) Heat your galley oven to over 350º.

You’ll need a zester and a juicer. Zest 3 lemons until you get about 1/3 cup or more of fine lemon rind. Juice those same lemons for 1/4 fresh lemon juice plus 3 tablespoons more for the Lemon Glaze.

In a medium sized bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds together. Set aside.

In a large bowl cream together the butter, sugar and lemon zest. Most recipes call for using an electric mixer, but this can very successfully be done by hand in a sailboat galley. Add the eggs, milk and lemon juice. Stir vigorously until smooth. Slowly blend in the dry ingredients and beat for a couple minutes.

Pour into the prepared bundt pan and bake for an hour. Oh yes! If you are under way, be sure to let your stove swing free on its gimbal. This is what happens when you forget:

After an hour, pull out of the stove and insert a knife to see if it comes out clean. Set aside for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. While it cools down, make the Lemon Glaze.

Whisk the powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract in a medium sized bowl. Add milk if the glaze looks more like frosting than glaze. It’s got to be thin enough to soak into the cake.

Once the cake is out of the pan, let rest for another 10 minutes. Then poke holes into it with a long skewer before pouring on the glaze. That helps the glaze soak into the cake.

So…I was in a hurry to feed the crew and tried to take the cake out of the pan too early. The whole thing fell apart. I’m not even going to show you the pictures. It was pretty gruesome. But with a little patchwork, a little glaze and cut into serving sizes, no one even knew!

It was the perfect treat for a perfect day!

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Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake

Author: GalleyPirate

Ingredients

Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake

• 3 cups Flour
• 1 tbsp Baking powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 3 tbsp Poppy seeds
• 2 cups Sugar
• 1/2 cup Lemon zest
• 3/4 cup Milk
• 1/4 cup Fresh lemon juice
• 4 Eggs

Lemon Glaze

• 1 cup Powdered sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp Lemon juice, freshly squeezed if possible
• 1-2 tbsp Milk

Instructions

Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake

• Spray a bundt pan with a generous amount of cooking spray. Heat your galley oven to over 350º.

  Zest 3 lemons until you get about 1/3 cup or more of fine lemon rind. Juice those same lemons for 1/4 fresh lemon juice plus 3 tablespoons more for the Lemon Glaze.
• In a medium sized bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds together. Set aside.

  In a large bowl cream together the butter, sugar and lemon zest with either an electric mixer or vigorously by hand. Add the eggs, milk and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Slowly blend in the dry ingredients and beat for a couple minutes.

  Pour into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 55-65 minutes, until a knife inserted comes out clean.
• Let cool for ten minutes before removing from the pan. Invert it onto a plate. Let cool for another 15 minutes + before adding the glaze

Lemon Glaze

• Whisk the powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract in a medium sized bowl. Add milk if the glaze looks more like frosting than glaze. It’s got to be thin enough to soak into the cake.

Notes

Make ahead and refrigerate or freeze for your offshore cruise.