Perfect for Easter: Lemon and poppy seed cake meets white chocolate whipped cream frosting in this delicious dessert

Have you ever had a slice of cake you can’t stop eating? This lemon and poppy seed layer cake filled with berries and the most delicious white chocolate lemon whipped cream frosting I’ve ever had is one of those cakes for me.

You are not alone if you think white chocolate and lemon whipped cream frosting sounds like an odd combination. I had the same thought when I saw this recipe over 20 years ago, but it tastes delicious. You have to believe me when I say this decadent dessert actually tastes light and refreshing. It is worth a little extra work to bring it all together.

Lemon and poppy seeds are a common pairing, often seen in muffins and other baked goods. The poppy seeds’ crunch and nutty taste complement the lemon’s bright citrus flavor well.

Poppy seeds are harvested from the poppy flower. After all the flower petals have died and fallen off, the remaining pods are dried for several days and cut open to reveal dozens of tiny poppy seeds. Like other seeds, poppy seeds are also high in oil and will become rancid if exposed to warmth or moisture, so I like to keep mine in the freezer to help them last longer.

The other key ingredient in this cake is the lemon. I always try to buy organic when purchasing lemons for their zest. Yes, they are a little more expensive, and I still wash them, but since I am using the peel, I like to know it hasn’t been sprayed with pesticides. For this recipe, you will only need the zest of two lemons and the juice of about four, depending on the size of your lemons. I only had two lemons, so as much as real chefs will frown upon this, I used bottled lemon juice to provide the rest.

This cake comes together differently than any other I have made. Flour, baking soda and baking powder are combined with small bits of cold butter prior to combining it with the wet ingredients. Research tells me this helps keep gluten from forming and helps the baked cake have a soft and velvety texture.

My tip for this portion of the recipe is to start with very cold butter that has been in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. Instead of cutting it into small pieces with a knife, grate it on a box grater like cheddar cheese. This is a quick way to get the butter into small shreds that will easily distribute into the flour mixture. I have also used this method to make pie crust.

Cake layers can be made ahead of time, wrapped well, and frozen if desired, which is a good option if you’d like to make this over several days.

The frosting recipe says to heat a combination of lemon juice, eggs and sugar in a double boiler. I don’t have a double boiler, so I used an eight-cup glass measuring cup over a small pot of simmering water instead. Any heat-safe bowl would also work; just be sure it doesn’t touch the water in the pot, as you may end up with sweet lemon scrambled eggs instead of the custard-like mixture.

I love the light texture of whipped cream frosting, but it does have its drawbacks, like not holding up as well as traditional buttercream. To help with this, I often use a little gelatin to stabilize the whipped cream. There are several methods, including using bloomed gelatin. But by far, the easiest I have found is using a powdered ingredient called Clearjel, which I purchased online. This very fine powder is combined with the sugar before adding it to the heavy cream. The result is a whipped cream that will hold its shape for days instead of hours. You do not need a stabilizer to make this, but it will help it last longer.

If this recipe sounds good to you, but you don’t have time to make it as written, here are a few shortcuts. You can use a cake mix with butter and add lemon juice for some of the water and poppy seeds. The texture will not be the same, but it will taste good. In addition, if you’d rather not make the lemon cream mixture, you can use purchased lemon curd instead. You will need about 2 cups. There is no shortcut for the whipped cream, but my tip is to put your bowl in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before whipping and use very cold heavy cream.

I am making this cake for Easter and am adding a basket pattern to the outside, but you do not need to do this. Feel free to frost this in the same way you would any other cake. But, in case you’d like to try the basket pattern, here is a link to the video I found helpful: youtube.com/watch?v=ww0xFkfTBOA.

I first saw this recipe in 1997 and have made it more times than I can remember since then. It is a favorite of my family and friends and is perfect for spring celebrations.

• Penny Kazmier, a wife and mother of four from South Barrington, won the 2011 Daily Herald Cook of the Week Challenge. Contact Penny at DhCulinaryAdventures@gmail.com.

Poppy Seed Layer Cake with Berries and White Chocolate Lemon Cream

For the cake:

3 cups (360 grams) cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold butter, grated or cut into bits

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups (400 grams) sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans with 1-1/2-inch to 2-inch sides. Line the bottom of the pan with wax paper; butter the paper.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and butter bits in a medium bowl.

Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter and lemon peel in large bowl until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla.

Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions each, beating only until blended, being careful not to overmix. Fold in poppy seeds.

Transfer batter to prepared pans. Bake until the cake is golden and a tester comes out clean, about 15-18 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake. Turn out the cakes onto wire racks to cool. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep at room temperature or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen.)

For the White Chocolate and Lemon Whipped Cream:

3/4 cup sugar, divided

2 large eggs

6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

8 ounces good-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Baker's), chopped

3 teaspoons Clearjel (optional)

3 cups chilled whipping cream

2 1/2 cups sliced strawberries, blueberries or your favorite berries

4 ounces good-quality white chocolate, shaved with a vegetable peeler into curls

More berries for decoration

Combine 1/2 cup sugar, eggs and lemon juice in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water. Whisk until very thick and candy thermometer registers 160 degrees, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and add chopped white chocolate, whisking until smooth. Cool to room temperature. (If made ahead, top with plastic wrap so no tough skin forms.)

(Optional: Combine 3 teaspoons Clearjel and ¼ cup sugar.) Beat the cream and remaining ¼ cup sugar in a large bowl to firm peaks. Gently fold in white chocolate mixture.

Assembling the cake:

Place one layer of the cake on a plate. Spread 1 cup of cream mixture on the top. Arrange 1-1/4 cup berries in a single layer over the cream. Repeat with the second layer of cake, the cream and berries and then top with the third layer of cake. Spread 3 cups of cream over the top and sides of the cake.

If desired, spoon the remaining cream into a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip. Pipe around the top edge of the cake. Garnish the cake with more berries and/or press white chocolate curls onto the top and/or sides of the cake.

Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

Serves 12

— Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine