This year, the Easter bunny visited our little seaside apartment with a special gift in tow: my sister from a different mister, all the way from Toronto!
It was wonderful to be reunited with one of my best friends. Though we don't see each other very often, when we do, it's as though not a day has gone by. Oh, the trouble that five of us girls got up to living on Chatham Street... it's a wonder that we all turned out to be so respectable.
M, A and I had an action packed few days, visiting towns and sites around southern Nova Scotia and taking in the splendour - and chilliness - of Peggy's Cove. We also ate our weight in seafood, which equals a week of detox. So worth it.
Devout worshippers of the baked good, A and I also dove headfirst into the Rebar cookbook to find a delectable recipe that befitted our epic reunion. We settled on these cupcakes, drawn in by the vibrant zests and merry bursts of poppy seed. The golden beauties are a truly sinful delight; buttery rich, sweet and tangy, with bursts of poppy seed and topped with a lovely cream cheese frosting. The original recipe is for a cake, baked in separate pans and assembled in layers; we though that making cupcakes was a clever way to be creative with presentation and control portions.
We failed in achieving the latter.
Note: Thank you A for contributing your photography skills!
Citrus poppy seed cake
From 'Rebar Modern Food Cookbook' by Audrey Alsterberg and Wanda Urbanowicz
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 7 eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 3 3/4 cups unbleached flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup milk, room temperature (I used skim)
- 1/2 tsp each zest of orange, lemon, and lime (or more , to taste)
- 1/3 cup poppy seeds
Glaze:
- 3/4 cup icing sugar
- 1/8 cup fresh lemon juice (or more, to taste)
Icing:
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 3 tbsp butter, softened
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1. Pre-heat oven to 350F and lightly grease or line 2 12-cup muffin trays.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time, beating each one in well before adding the next. Stir in vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter/sugar mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk. Fold in the citrus zest and poppy seeds. Do no over mix!
4. Evenly divide the batter amongst the muffin cups (about a full 1/4 cup per muffin tin). Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely.
5. In a small bowl, mix together icing sugar and lemon juice to make a glaze. Brush over the cooled cupcakes.
6. To make the icing, beat cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the butter, then the sugar; whip briefly. Spread the icing on top of the cooled cupcakes and chill to set.
Comments