It’s Week 3 and we’ve tackled another stellar recipe from Dessert Person. We knew it would be fun getting to collaborate on something together and have even more of a reason to stay in touch during the pandemic lockdown. Not only has Sisters & Saffitz done just that, but it’s also allowed us to meet so many other incredible Dessert People!
The third recipe under Loaf Cakes and Single Layer cakes was Claire’s childhood favourite: Poppy Seed Almond Cake.
Lauren’s Take
Wow! Can I just once again reiterate how much fun we are having doing this blog and how wonderful it has been to virtually meet and speak with so many lovely and kind home bakers across the globe. The internet is a truly wonderful thing!
Third bake down and oh my, was it a good one. I decided to pair this bake for the blog and for my partner’s birthday cake and I’ve never seen him enjoy a cake more. As soon as I took a bite out of this cake, I told my partner it was the best cake I’ve ever had and it was not an over-exaggeration. I knew this cake was going to be wonderful based on Claire’s praise of it and the fact that it was one of the first Dessert Person videos, but I did not expect to be this blown away by such a simple cake.
Seriously, this cake was so easy and so quick to make; the only thing that held me back timing-wise was that I kept dropping my room temperature eggs on the floor and then needing to wait for them to warm up again. You just mix everything together, put it in a beautiful bundt pan, and let it bake. The mix of poppy seeds and almonds and citrus is a timeless combination that is utilized so well in this recipe and I love that Claire did not shy away from using ample amounts of almond extract to get there.
My one recommendation would be to definitely keep an eye on your bake in the oven; the recipe says 80-90 minutes but mine needed about 95 minutes to get the deep golden brown bake over the top. As Claire says, “bake to the description and not the time!”
Once you take it out, it is super important to let the cake cool for at least 15 minutes before taking it out of the pan; this allows the cake to settle before adding the glaze. And speaking of the glaze… it is delish and you do not want to skimp out on it. Claire wants you to use every last drop and she is so correct in that. I wish I had made more holes to allow more of the glaze to seep in but ah well, lesson learned for next time. And you know there’s going to be a next time because I might just need to make this cake every week.
I hope you all enjoy this cake as much as we did!
Julia’s Take
Another week, another stellar recipe from our gal Claire Saffitz! I realize we are only three weeks and three bakes into this, but so far all this project has done is reaffirm my opinion that the Queen can do not wrong. Everything she makes is pure genius and pure deliciousness.
This cake comes to us courtesy of Mrs. Grossman, a family friend who passed this recipe on to Claire’s mom. For those that watch the weekly Dessert Person videos (shoutout to Felix and Count Spatula), you’ll know that this is Claire’s all-time favourite cake and the recipe her mom baked the most while Claire was growing up. We can absolutely see why!
This first section of the book continues to be fairly straightforward. It didn’t take long at all to gather the ingredients, mix everything together, and throw it in the oven. I am a big fan of almond, and the scent of the almond extract really came through and filled my house as the cake was baking. The only stressful part of this bake was that cringy moment when you’re waiting for your cake to release from the bundt pan and hope that it’s kept its shape. I’m sure I’ll look back on this in a couple of months once we’ve tackled more complex bakes and think how ridiculous it sounded to be stressed about a bundt pan…
The citrusy almond glaze that goes over the cake created a sweet and delicious crust; I love when something is soft inside with a crunchy texture on the outside and this delivered. Like Lauren, I wish I had made more holes in the cake and really allowed the glaze to soak in. Regardless, it still tasted amazing and this has become a new go-to recipe. I think I have said that every week so far, so it looks like I have a lot of baking in my future.
Coming up next week: Kabocha Turmeric Tea Cake. See you then!
sisters & saffitz 