Let me start off by saying that there is nothing that I love in the dessert world more than a warm chocolate chip cookie. But chocolate as a whole? I just don’t love it the way some people do. It’s good, of course, and I would never pass up a chocolate dessert, but I have never, ever gone crazy over it. I know, I’m sorry. P.S. Celine disagrees.

Lemon, however, is a different story. I love everything from lemonade to the lemon loaf cake at Starbucks to lemon meringue pie to lemon-flavored cookies, cupcakes, and muffins. It’s my favorite! Which is why, when I’m in a cake-baking mood, I usually crave lemon. That’s how this pound cake came to be. We were having some people over, and since we love baking for others, we decided to make a cake. Lemon poppy seed is always a fun flavor that most people like, so we decided that it needed to happen. To up the lemon flavor, and because iced cakes are way more fun, we added a sweet-and-tart lemon glaze. If you were wondering how it turned out, I can tell you this: I could not stop taking “just another sliver” of this cake. It was seriously amazing- tender, lemony, and moist. If you are a lemon-lover like me, you NEED to try this recipe. And even if you aren’t a lemon-lover, you still need to try it!

Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake

Makes 1 medium-sized loaf cake

Recipe slightly adapted from Annie’s Eats, originally from Williams Sonoma

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

2 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Pinch of salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan with butter and dust with flour. Shake well to remove excess flour.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice, and poppy seeds together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low until just incorporated. Mix in the sour cream. Add the remaining flour mixture, again beating on low until just combined.Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake for about 70 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If your cake starts to look too brown before it is done, cover loosely with foil. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pa, then invert the cake onto the rack and remove the pan. Let the cake cool on one of its sides. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and salt to make a glaze. Start with a tablespoon of lemon juice and add more as needed. You want a thick but still pourable glaze. Once the cake is fully cool, pour the glaze over it. Let it set, then serve. Enjoy!