12 Days of Recipes: DAY 7

LEMON POPPY SEED POUND CAKE
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tbsp lemon zest
2 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter (softened)
4 oz cream cheese (softened)
4 eggs
2 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. For cake, spray fluted pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine flour, sugar, lemon zest, poppy seeds, baking powder and salt in bowl; mix well. In another bowl, beat butter and cream cheese on high speed of an electric mixer for 1 minute. Add flour mixture; beat on low speed 1 minute or until blended.

In another bowl, whisk eggs, milk and vanilla just until blended. Add egg mixture to cream cheese mixture in 4 additions, beating 2 minutes after each addition.

Pour batter into pan. Bake 55 - 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes. Loosen cake from sides of pan; carefully invert onto cooling rack, keeping pan over cake. Cool completely.

Place cake on serving platter. Pour glaze over cake.

LEMON GLAZE
Combine 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and enough lemon juice to make a thick frosting (4 - 5 tsp).