Cake #39 - Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake

I have been resistant to gluten-free baking.  There, I said it.  Early in this year of baking, I made gluten-free cupcakes and they were okay (and the kids who could only have gluten free seemed very appreciative), but they weren't as good as "regular" cupcakes, and the baking process felt more like a science project than a wholesome, nourishing undertaking.

But then I heard an interview between Terry Gross (of Fresh Air) and two cookbook editors from America's Test Kitchen (listen to it here).  I am a huge devotee of America's Test Kitchen.  I use their Best Recipe cookbook as my kitchen bible.  I always look for recipes there first, and I love reading their descriptions of the many methods and ingredients they tested to arrive at the recipe they present in the book.  (If you don't know about America's Test Kitchen and their various publications, radio and television shows, do some research.)

The radio program, advertising their newest cookbook, gave me hope that they really had figured out how to make gluten-free baked goods that tasted like they should.  And, they talked about why gluten-free baking requires starting from scratch with recipes - why you can't just substitute in a gluten-free flour blend into existing recipes.  I felt so encouraged that I went home and ordered the cookbook.

America's Test Kitchen (ATK) created their own gluten-free flour blend, (recipe at the end of this post) which you have to mix up before you can start baking.  It took stops at a couple of stores, including Whole Foods, to find the ingredients I needed.  And while you're acquiring foodstuffs, I highly recommend buying a digital food scale and using it to bake these recipes.  The cookbook gives amounts in weights (in ounces) as well as dry volume measures, but the weight is a much more accurate way to measure.  Now that I have the scale, I actually find it easier to bake with weights than with measuring all the ingredients with cup measures.  

This Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake is every bit as good as non-gluten-free one.  It tastes good and the texture is perfect and light.  It was easy to make (mostly in the food processor) and looks beautiful.  It's not a big cake - and it's so good that a person could easily eat a whole big slice by themselves.  So you may want to make two.  This is my new Lemon Poppy Seed Cake recipe, and it's just a bonus that it's gluten free!

Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake

Cake

7 ounces (1 1/3 cups plus ¼ cup) ATK Gluten-Free Flour Blend (see end of recipe) OR 7 ounces (1¼ cups King Arthur Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour – cake will not rise as much and will be denser)

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon xanthan gum

1/3 cup poppy seeds

8¾ ounces (1¼ cups) granulated sugar

4 tablespoons grated lemon zest (from three lemons) plus 1 tablespoon juice

4 large eggs

4 ounces cream cheese

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Glaze

2 ounces (1/2 cup) confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1.       For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour (with gluten-free mix) an 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan.  Whisk flour blend, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum, and poppy seeds together in a bowl.

2.       Pulse sugar and zest together in a food processor until combined, about 5 pulses.  Add lemon juice, eggs, cream cheese, and vanilla and process until combined, about 15 seconds.  With processor running, add melted butter in steady stream until combined, about 20 seconds.  Transfer mixture to large bowl.  Add flour blend mixture and whisk until batter is thoroughly combined and smooth.

3.       Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake 15 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and continue to bake until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.  [I’ve needed to add 10 minutes of baking time, each time I’ve made this, and otherwise my oven is pretty true.]

4.       Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.  Run knife around edge of cake to loosen.  Remove cake from pan and let cool completely on rack, about 2 hours.

5.       For the glaze: Whisk sugar and lemon juice together in bowl until smooth (it will be thick).  Spread glaze over cake, allowing some to drip down sides.  Let glaze set for at least 15 minutes before serving.  (Cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.)

America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) Gluten-Free Flour Blend

Makes 42 ounces (about 9 1/3 cups)

24 ounces (4½ cups plus 1/3 cup) white rice flour (Bob’s Red Mill brand highly recommended)

7½ ounces (1 2/3 cups) brown rice flour (Bob’s Red Mill brand highly recommended)

7 ounces (1 1/3 cups potato starch (NOT potato flour)

3 ounces (3/4 cup) tapioca starch (sometimes called tapioca flour)

¾ ounce (3 tablespoons) nonfat milk powder

Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined.  Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 months.

From The How Can it Be Gluten Free Cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen