Lemon Poppy Seed Drizzle Cake

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Combine flour, sugar, ground almonds, butter, baking powder, eggs, lemon zest and poppy seeds in a large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to beat it all together thoroughly. If it is too thick and stiff, loosen it just a bit with a little hot water and mix it a little more. Liberally grease a bundt pan with oil or cooking spray and spread the batter evenly in it. Bake the cake for 30–35 minutes, until it starts to become golden and pull away from the sides of the pan.

While the cake bakes, make the syrup. Combine the lemon juice and sugar in a medium sauce pan and heat it up over medium high heat. Let it come to a gentle boil while you stir it occasionally until it is has thickened and become like a syrup. Set it aside to let it stop boiling, then put the lemon slices in it. Put it back on the heat to cook the lemon slices just until they soften for a minute or two. Get out a sheet tray lined with a silicone mat and use tongs to remove the lemon slices to the tray. Reserve the syrup and set it aside.

When the cake is done, let it cool for 5–10 minutes. In the meantime, reduce oven heat to 200ºF. Take the lemon slices and make a cut in each of them from the center to the outside. Twist the cut ends to make them all look like little bows. Sprinkle them all with a little sugar, then put them into the oven to dry out completely for an hour. They’ll become chewy and candied.

While the cake is still in the pan, poke lots of little holes in the bottom with a tooth pick. Brush about a third of the syrup onto it and let it seep right into the cake. Turn it out onto a wire rack to finish cooling and repeat the same process on the top with the remaining syrup. Let the cake cool completely, then make the icing. Just combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a bowl and stir it together well until you have a thick, white icing. Set it aside.

Now it’s time to assemble the cake! When the lemons are done drying out, take them out and set them aside. Transfer the cake to a cake plate and spoon the icing all over it, letting it drizzle down the sides. Sprinkle the toasted almonds and a generous dusting of poppy seeds on top of the icing. Then place the pretty bows on the very top. Serve the cake immediately and enjoy!