One of my favorite summer flavor combinations are berries and lemon. You know what else goes really well with lemon? Poppy seeds. So why not have all three?
Bundt cakes are notorious for sticking to the pan, so be sure to give it a good coat of nonstick spray. Then, add a few spoonfuls of flour and rotate the pan, tapping it and turning it, until the flour has coated every single nook and cranny. Take your time and be thorough. Don't forget about the tube in the middle!
Cream together your margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in the vanilla, soy milk, lemon zest and juice. The lemon juice will cause the soy milk to curdle. Don't worry, you want that to happen. It helps with the leavening.
Now the dry ingredients are added to form a smooth, creamy batter.
Then the poppy seeds and berries are mixed in.
Spoon the batter evenly into the Bundt pan. You can smooth out the top with a spatula to keep things tidy.
After an hour or so in the oven, it should be golden brown, but you'll still want to do a toothpick test to make sure the inside is cooked well enough.
Before you turn the cake, let it cool a bit so it contracts and pulls away from the pan making it easier to release from the mold. Ten minutes should do the trick. Run a knife around the edges first. Then, place a serving plate on top and turn the whole thing upside down. Carefully lift the mold off the cake, and...
Voilà!
Now it's time to add the glaze. If you don't wait for the cake to cool completely because you're impatient or you're trying to catch the light for a photo shoot, the glaze will pool around the bottom of the cake like in the picture above. It will still taste good, though.
Berry Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake
Makes one 10” Bundt cake
Ingredients
1 cup vegan margarine, cut into pieces
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup soy milk
finely grated zest of two large lemons
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
2 cups fresh blueberries or raspberries
Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Method
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat a Bundt pan with nonstick spray and dust with flour.
- Beat margarine and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the vanilla, soy milk, lemon zest and lemon juice and beat until smooth.
- Add the flour in batches, beating at a low speed until incorporated. Beat in the poppy seeds, baking powder and baking soda until well combined. Gently fold in the berries.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the bundt pan and bake for 60-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn cake on to a serving plate and continue to cool.
- Once cake has cooled, prepare the glaze. Whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl until smooth. Pour over top of cake. Cut into slices and serve.