Brown Butter Poppyseed Cake

Hey guys- today’s the right day for a simple little treat, and this Poppyseed Cake does the trick. This cake is kind of like if poppyseed muffins were just baked into a super easy single-pan situation- if you’re a fan of breakfast cake like me, this is for you!

The cake is super easy to make- in fact you just mix all the ingredients together in a bowl at one time. It’s topped with extra sugar, which creates this lightly crisp top that I’m kind of obsessed with, and the results are seriously perfect as dessert or with your morning coffee. Let’s get to it!

How to Make Poppyseed Cake

This recipe starts off by browning butter, and then letting it come back to room temperature with the help of an ice cube. Once that’s ready to go, it’s time to pull together the cake batter.

If you’ve made some of my cake recipes before, you might recognize this method. We’re simply putting all the cake batter ingredients into the bowl at once, and beating it together with an electric mixer until everything is thick and combined. This is a bit of an odd method for cake, but for this specific batter I find that it works perfectly. It really helps avoid over-mixing, and results in a super tender cake.

Once the batter is mixed together, spread it evenly into your cake pan, and then top the whole thing with a generous sprinkle of additional sugar. This helps create a thin, crispy topping for the cake that gives it a muffin-vibe after baking, and it’s what makes the poppyseed cake really irresistible.

I went for a mix of vanilla and almond extract in this cake, but you can omit either if you prefer, or add in lemon extract and fresh zest to go for a lemon version.

This baby doesn’t even need frosting which helps it creep further into the territory of breakfast for me. I hope you guys enjoy this one- it’s in the regular rotation at our house!

Tips & Tricks for the best Poppyseed Cake

Here are all my tips and tricks to help you along in this recipe!

• Do I have to brown the butter? No, it’s optional, but I think it makes a big difference in the flavor of the cake here so I definitely recommend it.
• Why do I have to add an ice cube to the browned butter? This serves two purposes- first is to help the butter cool down a bit faster. Second- browning butter cooks off the water in the butter, so adding an ice cube brings it back without sacrificing the flavor.
• What’s with the mixing method? I find that for this recipe, it works well to just throw all the ingredients in at once and mix. This is not always the best option for cake, but in certain types of recipes I find it really helps to avoid over-mixing, and creates a very tender cake in the end.
• Can I make a lemon version of this cake? Yes, you can simple omit the vanilla and almond extract, and replace it with 2 tsp. of lemon extract. If you have it, I also recommend adding 1-2 tbs. of lemon zest to the cake batter.
• Why do I add sugar to the top of the cake? It creates a thin, crispy layer of sugar while baking, and it’s really so yummy- don’t skip it!
• How do I know when the poppyseed cake is finished baking? The cake should look set, lightly brown on top, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake should come out with just a few crumbs clinging to it.
• I’m at about 5,000 ft. above sea level and I find that most folks who live between about 3,000-7,000 ft above sea level do not need to make any adjustments to my recipes.

Enjoy!

Print

Brown Butter Poppyseed Cake

Servings 16 slices

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tbs oil
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbs sugar separated
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 2 tsp. poppyseeds
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. In a medium skillet, brown your butter until it’s deeply golden, about 10 minutes. Immediately pour the butter into a heat-safe bowl to stop the browning, add a single ice cube and stir until it’s completely melted. Let the butter come back to room temperature.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8-inch square cake pan. Optionally, line the pan with parchment paper with overhanging edges for easy removal. In a large bowl, beat together the room-temp brown butter, oil, 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, sour cream, vanilla extract, almond extract, flour, poppyseeds, baking powder, and salt. This is a bit of an odd mixing method, but trust the process- you want to just beat everything together at once until just combined. The batter will be thick.
3. Evenly spread the batter into your prepared cake pan, and sprinkle the additional sugar evenly over the top. Bake the cake for 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it. Let the cake cool completely before slicing and serving.

Dough-Eyed

Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!