Almond Poppyseed Bundt Cake

Isn't it funny how sometimes time seems to fly and other times it drags on? And at yet another time it seems to do both? That's how I feel about this school year...some days and weeks just seem to drag on for.ev.er. Others fly by and I can't believe how quickly Monday turns into Friday.

It seems like we started the count down to Spring Break right after Winter Break this year. I remember February winding to a close, and the prospect of the 5 weeks of March, with no scheduled days off, looming large and long in front of us, the only salvation being Spring Break coming right as April entered. The daily Spring Break count down in the teacher's lounge, mocked me as we ate and chatted everyday. Time seemed to slow down and linger in March, taunting me as I looked forward to a week off.

Now I'm right in the middle of Spring Break, and it feels like those long, slow moments of March were a lifetime ago. I can't believe it's *already* April and I am enjoying my days of relaxation at home. Of course, too soon it will be time to go back to work and this break will be just another distant memory. But for now I am enjoying a nice perk of teaching-the breaks!

To celebrate spring and the arrival of break, we had a staff potluck Wednesday before break. When the sign up list came around, I wasn't sure what I wanted to make, beyond knowing I definitely wanted to bake a dessert. Then Joy the Baker posted a poppyseed bundt cake, answering that question for me. I added some almond extract and dusted my finished cake with powdered sugar instead of her blueberry glaze...perfection.


Almond Poppyseed Bundt Cake
Source: Adapted from Joy the Baker
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/1 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon white vinegar (I was out, so I used apple cider vinegar, which worked perfectly)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
Powdered Sugar

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10" bundt cake pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together canola oil, buttermilk, egg, vinegar, almond extract and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients all at once. Whisk together until just combined and no lumps remain. Stir in the poppy seeds.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Carefully run a butter knife along the edges of the cake to assure that it is loosened enough before inverting the cake onto a wire rack to cool.

Pour about 2 Tablespoons of powdered sugar into a mesh strainer and sprinkle over the top of the cake.