Orange and Poppy Seed Cake: A Zesty Delight

A while back, I shared this Orange Chiffon Cake and my favorite Jewish weekend (Shabbat) tradition of enjoying a homemade cake with our loved ones during the slow weekend morning. This Orange Poppyseed Cake is another recipe to add to our collection.

Poppyseed cakes and pastries have always been popular in many Jewish and Israeli recipes. I guess making Hamentashen has left us with abundant leftovers because it is mainly used as a filling for triangle cookies. And so the law of not wasting food has given us the most delicious, tall, tender cake (also see these Poppyseed Bars , Beigli, and this Almond Poppyseed Cake).

The best part of this cake is that it uses oil instead of butter, which gives it extra moist crumbs and makes it an easy cake recipe that is super simple to follow without much planning. For a buttery orange cake check out this Orange Pound Cake.

Topping Options and Serving Suggestions

For me, this cake is best with a dust of powdered sugar next to my afternoon tea, but you can easily upgrade it with any of the following toppings:

• Brown butter cream cheese frosting. Topping the cake with a thick layer of sweet and tangy cream cheese adds a new layer of unique flavors to this cake. (consider adding the zest of one orange for a creamy orange cream cheese frosting).
• Ganache. Milk, dark chocolate ganache, or even white chocolate ganache. 
• Mascarpone frosting.
• Super easy orange glaze icing: Mix 2-4 tablespoons of orange juice with one cup of powdered sugar.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to create this flavorful cake:

• Poppyseeds. Use whole poppy seeds, not grounded ones. Grounding the seeds releases its bitterness, and while it can go unnoticeable when we use it to make sugary filling, for this recipe, it is best to keep them whole for flavor and texture.
• Whole eggs separated. Since it is best to work with room-temperature eggs, and there must be no egg yolk in the egg white, I recommend separating the eggs when cold out of the refrigerator.
• Two large oranges. This is the best way to ensure that our cake will have optimal flavor from the fresh orange zest and juice.
• Vegetable oil. I like to use canola oil, but you can use any unflavored oil. If you want an extra earthy flavor, use olive oil.
• Granulated sugar. This cake uses slightly more sugar than other chiffon cake recipes, so we can balance the bitterness from the seeds. You can reduce up to 1/4 cup of the sugar.
• Cake flour. This is super important for this recipe; using all-purpose flour, what most of us refer to as plain flour (and bleached all-purpose in particular), might result in a short, dense cake. If you do not have cake flour, use bleached all-purpose flour mixed with two teaspoons of cornstarch. Process the flour mixture in the food processor for about 1 minute for best results.
• Vanilla extract, baking powder, and a pinch of salt.

Step-by-Step Instructions

The complete Orange and poppy seed cake recipe, including measurements, is in the recipe card at the bottom of this post in the recipe card.

1. Toast the poppyseeds for ten minutes in a 350F preheated oven, stirring after the 5-minute mark. 
2. Place the egg yolks, oil, and 1 1/4 cups of sugar in a large mixing bowl. Zest the oranges and then juice them, adding both the zest and the juice to the bowl. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and poppy seeds in a separate large bowl.
3. Use a whisk to mix the orange and yolk mixture, then gradually add the dry ingredients.
4. Whip the egg whites until frothy, about 30 seconds, using an electric mixer. Increase speed to high, then gradually add the sugar to the egg whites and whip until you have a white, thin meringue that does not hold its shape when you dip the whisk in the meringue and lift it. (anou 1-2 minutes)
5. Fold the meringue into the cake batter, then pour the batter into your prepared pan.  
   

Tips and substitutions

• For optimal flavor, use fresh orange juice, zesting it before squeezing the juice. (I don’t think organic oranges increase the fresh orange flavor.
• This cake can easily be transformed into a Poppyseeds lemon cake by substituting the oranges with 4-5 juicy lemons. The same goes for blood oranges.
• If you are not in the mood for an orange cake or any citrus flavor, replace the juice with whole milk or sour cream.
• Don’t Overmix: When combining the dry and wet ingredients, mix just until everything is combined. Overmixing can lead to a dense cake.
• Fold, don’t mix. It is very important to fold the meringue into the batter gently. Folding means using a rubber spatula to scrape the batter from the bottom of the bowl and lift it over itself, repeating the process until the meringue is fully incorporated and no longer visible. This way, the cake rises tall and light instead of short and dense.
• The cake is ready when a toothpick or a cake tester comes out dry from the center of the cake. It should cool in the pan it was baked in, not over a wire rack.

Storing, Yields, and pan options

• Storing: Store the cake at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you need to keep it longer, refrigerate it for up to a week. You can freeze the cake for up to 3 months for even longer storage. Just wrap it tightly in plastic and plastic bag foil before freezing. Unwrap the cake and allow it to reach room temperature on the kitchen counter.
• Yields and pan options. Depending on the pan you are using, this recipe can be used to bake one 9×13-inch pan, yielding 24 slices, one tube pab, yielding up to 15 slices, or one two eight-inch cake layers, yielding ten slices. The baking time will change; see recipe notes.