Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter ((or 1 and 1/2 sticks at room temperature))
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 ½ cups sifted cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 1 cup confectioners sugar
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeeze lemon juice
  • Non-stick cooking spray
  • 8 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)
  • 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Instruction

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 4 mini loaf pans or one 8.5-inch x 4.5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray
  • In a large bowl, beat butter until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add granulated sugar, and cream together until smooth.
  • Add one egg; mix until just combined. Add 1/3 of the flour; mix until just combined. Repeat alternating eggs and flour until incorporated in the batter. Add almond extract and poppy seeds. Beat until all ingredients are combined - do not over mix.
  • Divide batter among the 4 mini loaf pans, or pour all of the batter into the regular loaf pan.
  • Bake mini loaves for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. {Bake regular loaf pan for 35 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 35 to 40 minutes until baked through.} Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes.
  • Using a knife, loosen the edges of the cake. Turn out the cake, and place cake, right side up, on a wire rack over a baking sheet.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together glaze ingredients until smooth. Pour glaze over the warm cakes. Cool cake completely.
  • Once cake is cool, slice the mini loaves into 4 pieces each or slice the regular loaf into 12 slices.
  • In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth. Spread the cream cheese over half of the slices. Top the cream cheese with another slice of cake, so it's like a sandwich. Take a big bite and try not to smile!