Sour Cream Poppy Seed Cake with Whipped White Chocolate Lemon Ganache

By AzWench

Ingredients

• Cake:
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup poppy seeds
• 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Whipped White Chocolate Lemon Ganache:
• 6 ounces high-quality white chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Details

Servings 20

Preparation

Step 1

Make the Cake: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Dust the pan with flour.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Add the poppy seeds and whisk to combine; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Gradually add the sugar and beat at high speed until well blended and light, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and mixing until blended. Beat in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla until blended. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating it with the sour cream in two additions and mixing just until blended. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes, until it is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

Invert the cake onto the rack and cool completely.

Make the ganache: Place the white chocolate in the bowl of an electric mixer and set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a gentle boil over medium heat. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it stand for about 1 minute to melt the chocolate, then whisk the mixture until smooth. Whisk in lemon zest. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.

Using the whisk attachment, beat the ganache at medium-high speed until the whisk begins to leave a trail in it and it is the consistency of softly whipped cream.

Frost the cake: Transfer the cake, still upside down, to a serving plate or platter. Frost the top of the cake with the ganache. Cut the cake into squares to serve.

Makes one 9 x 13-inch cake, serves 20