Sour Cream Poppy Seed Cake
This delicious recipe from The Greyston Bakery Cookbook is everything a Bundt cake should be—easy to make, moist, with a straightforward flavor profile. It also keeps well at room temperature for several days, making it perfect for a quick slice with coffee or tea. The sour cream provides richness and moisture, and the vanilla-flavored batter allows the delicate taste of the poppy seeds to take center stage.
Sour Cream Poppy Seed Cake is an easy modified creaming method cake, where butter, sugar and egg yolks are creamed together, the dry ingredients and sour cream are added, and lastly firmly beaten egg whites and sugar are folded in.
As with all poppy seed cakes, muffins and pastries, it is very important that the poppy seeds be fresh. Poppy seeds, with their high oil content, become rancid unless properly stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.
The Greyston Bakery, located in Yonkers, NY, has a fascinating history. Founded by Bernie Glassman, an engineer and mathematician turned Zen Buddhist, the bakery was originally created to provide employment for his students. In its early days, Greyston supplied cakes and pastries to upscale stores and restaurants in the New York area, with the recipes featured in its 1986 cookbook.
In 1987, Glassman met Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s at a conference for socially conscious businesses. Their discussion led to a partnership, with Greyston becoming the supplier of brownies for a new Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor. Over time, the bakery shifted exclusively to wholesale production of brownies and blondies, gaining recognition not only for its high-quality products but also for its commitment to providing job opportunities for individuals facing barriers to employment.
Sour Cream Poppy Seed Cake
| Yield: 1 10” Bundt cake | # of Servings: 10 -12 | Method: Modified creaming | Difficulty: Easy |
Ingredients:
- 2 cups (9.3 oz / 264 g g) all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 ½ tsp (.3 oz / 8 g) baking soda
- 1 cup (8 oz / 227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar (7 oz / 198 g) granulated sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup (2.7 oz / 76 g) poppy seeds
- 6 egg whites
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup (2.3 oz / 65 g) granulated sugar
Special tools and equipment needed:
- One 10 to 12-cup bundt or kugelhopf pan
- Hand held or free-standing mixer with paddle attachment and wire whip.
- Cooling rack
Pre-recipe preparations:
- Carefully butter the Bundt pan, and coat with almond flour. Or, have a can of release spray containing flour flour, such as Baker’s Joy or Pam for Baking near your work area. Do not use regular cooking spray.
- Have all ingredients at room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
Directions
Cake:
- Stir together dry ingredients, set aside
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through. Add vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients in three stages, alternately with the sour cream mixture in two stages, beginning and ending with the dry. On the last flour addition, mix very briefly. Add poppy seeds and mix until blended. Use a plastic spatula to scrape up from the bottom to ensure a well-blended batter.
- In clean mixing bowl with wire whip, whip egg whites until soft peaks. Add sugar and whip until just firm peaks. Do not over beat.
- Stir one quarter of the whites into the batter to lighten, then fold in remainder, just until no whites are visible.
- If using release spray with flour, spray the bundt pan well.
- Pour batter into the pan, level the batter, and knock pan on counter to eliminate any air pockets.
- Place in oven and bake cake feels firm and a cake tester comes out clean, about 40 to 42 minutes.
- Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack. Place the other cooling rack on the bottom and flip again so the cake is right side up. Let cool.
- Serve sliced in ¼ “ slices.
- Cake may be stored at room temperature for 3 days, or wrapped well and frozen for one month.
Baking tips:
- As with all creaming method cakes, room temperature butter is very important to allow for proper creaming of the butter, sugar, and eggs.
