Fields of Poppy in a Cake

Last weekend for the LSU vs. Alabama game, I wanted to make something special. The boy is a fan of poppy seed muffins, so I decided to make some with a little twist, by turning it into a cake. Unfortunately, while the boy had a bite of my slice, he didn't have a slice of his own. During the game he said he was too worried to eat any, but that he'd had a slice once LSU won. Except that didn't happen, and after the game he wasn't quite in the mood for dessert either. Next time I guess.

I found this recipe on The Wednesday Chef although it is a Deborah Madison recipe. While it is a slightly complicated recipe, I was happy with how well I pulled it off. And while I'm not sure if my mom ever made it, if definitely remind me of something should would have made, which made me enjoy it even more.

Poppy Seed Cake
from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
via The Wednesday Chef
Ingredients
1 cup poppy seeds
1/2 cup milk, heated, but not boiling
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/8 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1. In a small mixing bowl, combine the poppy seeds and the hot milk. Set aside until needed.
2. Heat the oven to 375ᵒF. Butter and flour a 9-inch spring form pan. Set aside.
3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.4. Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium-high until firm but moist peaks form. Transfer the egg whites to a small mixing bowl.
5. Using the same bowl as for the egg whites, but now using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla, then beat in the egg yolks, adding one at a time and beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, as needed.
6. Drain the milk from the poppy seeds, discarding the milk. Add the buttermilk and the drained poppy seeds to the batter. Beat until well combined, then again scrape down the sides of the bowl with the rubber spatula. Add the flour mixture to the batter, in thirds. Again scrape the bowl with the rubber spatula, making sure it’s all well mixed.
7. Fold in about a quarter of the beaten egg whites with the spatula, then fold in the rest, mixing gently until just combined.
Transfer the batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula. Bake until golden and firm, with the sides just beginning to pull away from the pan, about 40-50 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack. Carefully run a sharp, thin knife along the sides of the cake, just against the pan, then gently remove the rim and allow the cake to cool to room temperature before slicing.
It turned out really delcious, minus the fact that it cracked. I know that the crack doesn't really impact the flavor, but I do think it would have been a lot prettier if it came out perfect. And just for fun, since this is a Deborah Madison recipe, here's a photo of my mom and Deborah Madison.
Have you ever met a celebrity chef? And do you have a fool-proof way of keeping cakes from cracking?