lemon poppy seed cake with brown butter icing

I don't really know why but I love cakes cooked in a bundt pan. Maybe it's because they look so much nicer than a boring-old round cake pan plus they cook evenly. This is a really nice, moist lemon poppy seed cake to enjoy on a blustery cold day, like today. Browning the butter adds a whole other flavor dimension to the icing. So get baking!

lemon poppy seed cake with brown butter icing

1 1/4 cups butter, softened

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon rind

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 eggs, room temperature

3 cups self-rising (raising) flour

1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup lemon juice

BROWN BUTTER ICING

1/2 cup melted butter

3 cups powdered (icing) sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 to 3 tablespoons of milk

Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease a 9-inch (23cm) bundt pan. Dust with flour; tap pan to remove excess flour. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl using an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add rind, vanilla and eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in flour, poppy seeds, milk and juice. Spoon into prepared pan; smooth top. Bake about 50 minutes or until cooked and a skewer inserted into cake comes out clean. Let stand in pan for 10 minutes before turning onto wire rack. Drizzle with warm icing while hot.

To make the icing, heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until browned. Add remaining ingredients. Stir until well combined. Add more milk if necessary to mix icing to a thick, but runny consistency. Drizzle warm icing over warm cake. Let stand until icing is set. Serves 10. 

lemon poppy seed cake with brown butter icing