Piece of Cake…. Poppy Seed Cake

h2Chef’s Note:/h2
pMy friend Nancy (who is a great baker) knocked me over with her version of a poppy seed cake some years ago. It was dense and moist and packed with flavor. To my shock and amazement it was made from a commercial cake mix and instant pudding. That recipe is no longer compatible with my Diabetes budget so I had to figured out a way to make it from scratch. Guess what?...It is still easy and delicious. Unlike ALL of my other cake recipes, this one benefits from a long (4 minute) beating time./p
pI SUGGEST USING AN 8 INCH SPRING FORM OR SMALL (6-8 cup) BUNDT PAN WELL SPRAYED OR BUTTERED TO AVOID STICKING./p
h2Ingredients:/h2
ol
li2/3 cup flour (you can replace up to 1/4 the amount with whole wheat flour)/li
li½ cup toasted almonds, cooled/li
liPinch of salt/li
li1/4 tsp. ground cardamom (if you can find it) or use ground ginger/li
li1 tsp. baking powder/li
li1 tsp. baking soda (1/2 into dry mix, ½ into wet mix)/li
li3 tbsp. instant SUGAR FREE vanilla pudding/li
li4 ounces unsalted butter at room temperature/li
li1/4 cup vegetable oil (try a lemon infused olive oil for 1/2 of the total oil)/li
li1 cup GRANULATED SUGAR SUBSTITUTE/li
li3 large eggs at room temperature/li
li1 tsp. pure vanilla extract/li
li1/3 cup Golden sherry (you may substitute low carbohydrate orange juice)/li
li2 tbsp. sour cream (Low fat is ok, but NOT fat free)/li
li1 tsp. cider vinegar./li
li2 tbsp. Poppy seeds/li
/ol
h2Preparation:/h2
ol
liPre heat oven to 350°/li
/ol
h2Dry Mixture:/h2
pbNote: I often do this a day ahead/b/p
ol
liIn a food processor, combine nuts, salt, and 1/3 cup flour. Pulse until the nuts are totally pulverized./li
liAdd 1/3 cup more flour and cardamom. Pulse until combined./li
liAdd instant pudding, baking soda and baking powder and pulse until combined./li
/ol
h2Wet Mixture:/h2
pbNote: This is easiest if you have a stand mixer with a whisk attachment/b/p
ol
liCream butter and GRANULATED SUGAR SUBSTITUTE until light and fluffy./li
liSlowly add the oil and beat until well combined./li
liScrape down the sides of the bowl, and alternately add the dry ingredients and the eggs, starting with the dry./li
liAdd vanilla and sherry , then whisk on high speed for 4 minutes./li
liCombine the remaining 1/2 tsp. of baking soda, vinegar and sour cream and stir into the batter./li
liStir in the poppy seeds/li
liSpoon into baking pan and bake for 26-28 minutes or until tester comes out dry from the center./li
/ol
pThere are all kinds of variations on the flavors for this cake. This is the one to start out with. /p
h2Nutrition Information/h2
pServes: 8br /
Net Carbohydrates per serving: 12 grams/p
piSource: a href="http://www.thedecadentdiabetic.com/"Ward Alper, The Decadent Diabetic/a/i/p