This poppy seed cake is moist, and sweet and easy to make in one bowl! It's an old, tried and tested recipe - and topped with a simple glaze - it is the best poppyseed cake ever.
Very lightly grease an angel food cake pan, set aside.
In a small bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder, set aside
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, canola oil, evaporated milk, vanilla and eggs until mixture is smooth.
Add dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Add poppy seeds and stir until evenly distributed.
Pour mixture into prepared angel food cake pan and bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes , or until the top is just barely set and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few wet crumbs (it will look wet, test the cake at 30 minutes to ensure you don’t overbake).
Set the poppyseed cake in the pan on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. Gently run a knife around the edges and the inside (all parts touching the pan) to release.
After 30 minutes carefully remove cake and let cool completely on the wire rack.
Make the Glaze
In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth.
Assemble & Serve
Immediately pour it over the cooled cake.
Let sit at room temperature until hardened (about 30-60 minutes).
Serve at room temperature.
Video
Notes
Ingredients & Substitutions
All-purpose flour. Cake flour can be used in place of all-purpose flour, but that's the only substitution I have tried and can recommend.
Fine sea salt. If using iodized salt, reduce the amount by half.
Granulated sugar. regular white sugar or organic cane sugar are great choices in this poppy seed cake.
Canola oil. I don't recommend making substitutions for the canola oil. It keeps the cake moist.
Evaporated milk. Another ingredient for which I do not recommend making substitutions.
Eggs. Use large eggs at room temperature for the best results.
Poppy Seeds. No substitutes here - or else it's not a poppy seed cake! ;)
Vanilla extract. In both the cake and the glaze you can use almond extract in place of some or all of the vanilla extract if you want a slightly almond flavor.
Whole milk. In the glaze you can use 2% milk, half and half or heavy cream in place of whole milk if necessary.
StoreStore any leftover poppyseed cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.FreezeYou can also freeze individual slices, or the entire cake, for up to 2 months. Just be sure to wrap it well and store it in an airtight container or plastic bag.