Lemon Poppy Seed & Cara Cara Cake

Citrus & Poppy Seed Cake

Makes 1 x 10-cup bundt cake or 1 large loaf cake

Ingredients
    For the cake
  • 50 g softened butter for greasing (or melted butter)
  • 260 g plain flour plus extra for dusting (or 2 cups, spooned and levelled )
  • 10 g baking powder (or 2 tsp)
  • 2 g fine salt (or 1/2 tsp)
  • 225 g unsalted butter (or 1 cup)
  • 400 g white sugar (or 2 cups)
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 lemon zest, juice reserved
  • 40 ml lemon juice
  • 200 g sour cream
  • For syrup:
  • 40 ml orange juice
  • 200 g icing sugar
  • For glaze
  • 1 juice of cara cara or blood orange
Instructions
  1. Measure all your ingredients then preheat oven to 175C. If using softened butter, grease your bundt pan now. Do this by brushing the bundt pan with the softened butter using a small pastry brush, being careful to get the butter into each nook and cranny. Sprinkle flour over the butter and tap around lightly to distribute. Turn pan over and tap lightly to remove excess flour. If you're using melted butter, DO NOT GREASE YOUR PAN YET.
  2. Sift flour, salt and baking powder together. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium-high, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
  4. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating well after each addition.
  5. Turn mixer down to low then add lemon zest.
  6. Add half of the flour mixture gradually using a spoon, mix well.
  7. Mix the sour cream and lemon juice together then add to the batter. Mix until incorporated.
  8. Fold in the rest of the flour mix. Set aside.
  9. If you're using melted butter, make sure its not hot. Brush the bundt pan with the butter using a small pastry brush, being careful to get the butter into each nook and cranny. Sprinkle flour over the butter and tap around lightly to distribute. Turn pan over and tap lightly to remove excess flour.
  10. Pour cake batter into the pan. Bake for 50 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean. Meanwhile make the syrup.
  11. Combine all the ingredients for the syrup in a small pan. Bring to the boil until sugar is dissolved and you get a slightly thick consistency. Cool down.
  12. When cake is ready, remove from oven and cover with a large plate for 10 minutes. Use kitchen mitts to invert pan and remove cake. Your cake should slide out perfectly.
  13. Make several small holes on your cake using a toothpick then brush the cake with the syrup. Leave to cool completely.
  14. When cake is completely cool, make the glaze by placing the icing sugar in a medium bowl and whisking the juice in. Start with half and keep adding until you get the consistency you want just be careful that you don't make the glaze too thin, test it by checking how quick it drips from your spoon. You want a slow drip to get that nice drizzle effect.
  15. Leave the glaze to set for 10-15 minutes then your cake is ready to serve.