Citrus-glazed orange–poppy seed cake

9
Points®
Total Time
50 min
Prep
15 min
Cook
35 min
Serves
12
Difficulty
Moderate
Poking holes into the just-baked cake allows the glaze to seep in and makes it ultra-moist and infuses each bite with sweet, citrusy aroma. The cake flour is responsible for this dessert’s light texture. To measure the cake flour, use a spoon to fluff up the flour, then lightly spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup and scrape the back of knife in a level motion across the top of the measuring cup to remove the excess. Poppy seeds, like sesame seeds and nuts, contain a good amount of fat, so they easily turn rancid, especially in warm weather. They’re best stored in the refrigerator or freezer.

Ingredients

Cake flour

2 cup(s)

Poppy seeds

2 tsp

Baking powder

2 tsp

Baking soda

½ tsp

Table salt

½ tsp

Sugar

¾ cup(s)

Canola oil

3 Tbsp

Egg

1 large egg(s)

1% low fat milk

½ cup(s)

Fat free vanilla yogurt

¼ cup(s)

Orange zest

1 Tbsp, grated (about 1 orange)

Sugar

3 Tbsp

Orange juice

3 Tbsp

Fresh lemon juice

1 tsp

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch round baking pan with nonstick spray. Line with a wax-paper round; spray with nonstick spray.
  2. To make the cake, whisk together the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the sugar, oil, and egg in a large bowl until thickened, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low. Add the milk, yogurt, and orange zest and beat until blended. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended.
  3. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 – 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a rack 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around the cake to loosen it from the pan. Invert onto the rack; remove the wax paper. Let cool.
  4. Meanwhile, to make the glaze, combine the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, until the mixture begins to thicken, about 3 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat. With a wooden skewer, poke holes all over the top of the cake. Brush the hot glaze over the top of the warm cake, allowing the glaze to seep in before brushing with more glaze. Yields 1⁄12 of cake) per serving.