Poppyseed Lemon Cake...fail?

Deb at Smitten Kitchen recently posted this Poppyseed Lemon Cake recipe, raving about the nutty flavor, the lemon scent and the airiness. I couldn't wait to try it; I love winter citrus recipes. This cake recipe was originally found in Food and Wine by Chef Kurt Gutenbrunner.

Unfortunately, I have to admit that I was disappointed. I loved all the little crunches that the poppyseeds made, and the first bite, all covered in powdered sugar was very nice, but after that I found it sort of bland. My mouth expected sweetness and lemon flavor that just wasn't there.

I looked at the recipe again and again, trying to tell just where I went wrong, and I'm 90% sure I followed it to the letter.

Maybe this cake requires a certain palette. But before I'd go and use 8 egg yolks on this cake again, I will definitely up the sugar and probably throw in some lemon juice.

I love all the recipes on Deb's site, as you can tell by the abundance of references to them on this blog. I would head right on over to Smitten Kitchen and check it out. And check out this cake- because the profound exuberance of the poppyseeds here is not to be ignored. There is something to it- be adventurous and figure out how you like it.