• parchment paper
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup poppy seeds, plus extra for garnish
• 1 lemon, rind grated
• 1 Tbs. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbs. almond extract
• 2-1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted before measuring
• 1 Tbs. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups lemon curd
• 1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 round 8 inch cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper. Butter parchment and dust with flour. Shake out excess. Set aside. Combine milk, poppy seeds and grated lemon zest in a saucepan over high heat. Heat to beginning of boil. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Add vanilla and almond extracts. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Cream butter about 2 minutes on low speed of electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually add sugar. Beat on medium speed until very light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Add flour mixture and milk mixture alternately, beating well after each addition. Beat on low speed until well blended. Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pans. Turn out onto wire rack. Peel off parchment paper. Cool completely.

Assemble cake by placing one layer on a serving plate. Spread 1 cup lemon curd over top, leaving a 1 inch border. Place second cake layer on top. Press gently. Chill 30 minutes. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Fold remaining 1 cup lemon curd into whipped cream. (Keep mixture cold.) Completely cover top and sides of cake with a thick layer of cream mixture. Chill 45-50 minutes. Sprinkle cake with extra poppy seeds. Chill.

This recipe serves 16 people. Due to the nature of this recipe, it adjusts the number of servings in multiples of 16 only.

Per serving: calories 396, fat 22.4g, 50% calories from fat, cholesterol 128mg, protein 6.7g, carbohydrates 43.5g, fiber 1.1g, sugar 27.1g, sodium 141mg, diet points 10.1.

Dietary Exchanges: Milk: 0.1, Vegetable: 0.5, Fruit: 0.0, Bread: 0.8, Lean meat: 0.3, Fat: 4.0, Sugar: 1.5, Very lean meat protein: 0.0

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