Lemon Poppy Seed Tea Cakes

As a little girl, I used to play in my tree-house with my little kitchenette, and host tea parties for my friends (sometimes they were pretend friends, but they were friends none the less). Now as an adult, I still fantasize about hosting tea parties and all the delightful treats I would make to accompany the tea (or coffee). I think it would be a wonderful way to visit with my girlfriends and fulfill my urges to bake for others. But with life and all the busy schedules, I often talk myself out of the idea.

Then a couple of weeks ago, I received an email from the Foodbuzz Editorial Team announcing an Electrolux Tea Party Top 9 Takeover. Foodbuzz will donate $50 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund for every tea party recipe created by a Featured Publisher. And this Friday, March 25th, they will showcase recipes in their Daily Top 9 section. So how could I resist! Here was my chance to partake in a tea party and contribute to a great cause! I knew exactly which recipe I wanted to use... I have had my eye on these lemon poppy seed tea cakes for over a month. :)

All cancer research is extremely important, and as a woman, ovarian cancer research obviously hits home a little more. I'm happy to spread the word, and the great news is, you can help support this cause too! Join Kelly Ripa and Electrolux for a virtual tea party for a cause, at Kelly Confidential. When you do, Electrolux will donate $1 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. Check it out!

A few notes about this recipe... When you whip up the egg whites, make sure your beaters are absolutely clean. Otherwise, the exposure of other ingredients will prohibit the thickening of the meringue. Also, feel free to fill your muffin pans to the rim with batter. I wasn't sure how much they would rise, so I only filled them 3/4 full, but as you can see they didn't have much of a top (like the ones shown in my cookbook).

Overall, I loved these tea cakes! They were the perfect companion for my morning cup of coffee. And when I get around to hosting my own tea party, these little darlings will be featured. But until then, they're just for me... and you! :)

Ingredients

Yields 6 tea cakes

2/3 cup cake flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

Pinch of salt

4 tbsp (1/2 a stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup granulated sugar, divided

2 large eggs, separated

1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 tbsp poppy seeds

1/4 cup buttermilk

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 6 standard muffin cups with baking spray; set aside.

In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter and 1/3 cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and poppy seeds until well combined. Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, combining the mixture well. 

In another large bowl, beat egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar, and beat until the meringue holds stiff peaks. Stir 1/4 of meringue into the cake batter and fold in the remainder gently but thoroughly.

Divide batter among prepared muffin cups. Bake 20-25 minutes or until tops are golden. Remove tea cakes from the pan immediately and cool on wire racks.

Source: adapted from Gourmet's In Short Order cookbook