Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Update: I have remade this cake using sprouted spelt flour, coconut oil, and with Rapadura (evaporated cane juice) as the sweetener. Delicious! See: Spelt Lemon Cake.

We haven’t enjoyed this delicious and very lemony cake since going gluten-free over a year ago. I miss it! It calls for whole wheat pastry flour. I am thinking of making it very soon trying out white buckwheat flour (from hulled buckwheat) instead of the whole wheat pastry flour. For now, here is the wheat version.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

adapted from a recipe shared by my friend Meg

The cake:

• 6 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 1-1/2 cups agave syrup
• 4 tablespoons flax seed meal
• 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• grated zest of 4 lemons
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

The syrup:

• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (perhaps reduce, depending on your desired tartness)
• 1/2 cup agave syrup

Combine poppy seeds and coconut milk in a small bowl. Let soak for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Oil a bundt pan well with coconut oil and then dust with whole wheat pastry flour.

Mix well the oil, agave and flax seed meal in mixing bowl. Add flour, baking powder, sea salt and lemon zest, along with coconut milk mixture. Stir until smooth and just combined.

Pour batter into prepared bundt pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until golden brown and/or an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Meanwhile, bring to a boil the lemon juice and 1/2 cup agave syrup. Let boil, while stirring constantly for 3 to 5 minutes, to allow it to thicken. Remove from heat and let it cool.

When cake is done baking, place cake in pan on baking rack. Poke about a dozen holes in the cake, all the way to the bottom. Pour all the syrup over the cake. Let the cake cool in pan on rack for at least 1/2 hour.

Turn cake out onto serving platter. Let cool completely. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. (Original recipe says to let sit out at room temp overnight before serving.)

© Copyright 2008 by Wardeh Harmon.