Lorna J. Sass’s latest cookbook, Whole Grains For Busy People, focuses on quick-cooking recipes for cooks on the go, writes Hagar Ozri.
Lorna’s current passion is to make healthy food available to all, and she is especially eager to help people grow their own food on rooftops and in community gardens in New York.
This is my version of her lemon poppyseed cake.
- About ½ tsp oil and 2 tsp flour to prepare a 9 inch tube pan
- 5 Tbsp flax seeds
- 1 cup water
- 3 cup unbleached white flour, sieved
- ½ cup poppy seeds
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 Tbsp finely minced or grated lemon peel (coloured part only, organic if possible)
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ cup safflower oil
- ¾ cup maple syrup / apple syrup / raw sugar
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- For the glaze (optional)
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1. Turn oven on to 180degC.
2. Brush the oil onto the bottom sides and centre of a 9 inch (23cm) tube pan. Dust lightly with flour, tip out the extra, and set aside.
3. In a blender, grind the flax seeds. Add the water and process until you achieve a slightly gummy mixture, about 30 seconds. Set aside. (This process does not work so well in a food processor, but it can be done. First grind the flax seeds in a spice or coffee grinder. Combine with water in the bowl of the processor and spin until slightly thickened, about 60 to 90 seconds.) A third alternative is to whisk the mixture vigorously by hand about 100 times. Tip the mixture out into a measuring cup and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, lemon peel, and salt.
5. In a blender or processor, blend the oil and maple syrup/sweetener for about 15 seconds. Add the lemon juice and then the flax seed mixture, processing for about 10 seconds between additions. Mix the baking soda in a little water and add.
6. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry, mixing just until all the flour is absorbed. Transfer the batter to the prepared tin and gently smooth with a spatula.
7. Bake on the centre shelf of an oven preheated to 180degC until the top bounces back to a gentle touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean — about 35 to 40 minutes. Then run a knife along the outside and centre edges and unmould. Set the cake on a rack to cool completely.
8. If using the glaze, combine the maple syrup and lemon juice. Poke holes into the top of the cake with a toothpick, and brush the glaze onto the top of the cake. Brush the sides with any remaining glaze.
