Sour Cream Poppy Seed Cake

To prepare the cake, start by thoroughly rinsing the poppy seeds with boiling water and then draining them using a fine-mesh strainer. If necessary, repeat this washing process to achieve the desired level of cleanliness.

Next, spread the poppy seeds out on a clean tea towel or brown paper and allow them to air dry for several hours, preferably overnight.

Now, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Before doing so, make sure to grease two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper for easy removal.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 1/4 teaspoon of salt, flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set this mixture aside for later use.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and 1.5 cups of sugar until they become thick, creamy, and a lovely shade of lemon color. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract to the mixture, then gently fold in the flour mixture and poppy seeds.

Pour the cake batter into the prepared pans and bake them in a preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the Lemon Filling, combine 1/2 cup of sugar, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Stir in some lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, water, orange juice, and butter. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour 1/2 cup of hot mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Then, slowly pour the egg yolk mixture back into the remaining hot mixture, whisking continuously. Cook for 5 minutes or until the filling has thickened to your liking.