Ingredients:
- Nonstick cooking spray or neutral vegetable oil, for the pan
- 2 cups (260g) cake flour, preferably, or pastry flour, plus more for the pan
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- Finely ground salt
- 1/2 cup (75g) black poppy seeds
- 1/2 cup (1 stick/115g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 11/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large egg whites
TO SERVE
- Powdered (confectioner’s) sugar (optional)
- Raspberries and fresh whipped cream (optional)
Instructions:
Prep: Put a rack in the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Coat a 9-inch (23cm) nonstick, rounded-edge Bundt pan (not one with intricate designs or sharp, angled edges) with cooking spray or vegetable oil; coat any grooves well to keep the cake from sticking (see Tips). Lightly dust the pan with sifted cake flour.
Make the cake: Over a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. (If you don’t have a sifter, shake the dry ingredients through a mesh colander.) Scatter the poppy seeds over the dry ingredients and stir to incorporate.
Put the softened butter in a large bowl and gradually add 11/4 cups (250g) of the sugar in increments, about a quarter at a time; use the back of a spoon to mix the sugar completely into the butter before adding more. Add 1/4 cup (60ml) of the milk and the vanilla and mix well. If the milk is very cold, the butter may firm up; smash the butter up a bit with the spoon so there are no large clumps.
Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir until roughly combined, then mix in about half of the remaining 3/4 cup (180ml) of milk. Stir another third of the dry ingredients into the batter, then the rest of the milk, and end with the remaining dry ingredients.
In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or use a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form, about 90 seconds. Add the remaining 1/4 cup (50g) sugar and beat to stiff peaks, about 30 seconds; the whites should be glossy and hold their shape when the whisk is lifted.
Add a large spoonful of egg whites to the batter and use a rubber spatula to fold in the whites until almost combined. Gently fold the remaining egg whites into the batter, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, just until combined; don’t overmix.
Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared cake pan and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon; it does not need to be perfectly smooth. Bake the cake, rotating the pan front to back halfway through, until light golden brown on top and a cake tester comes out with only a few crumbs, 45 to 48 minutes.
Let the cake cool completely on a baking rack or stovetop grate.
Serve: Insert a dull knife along the edges of the Bundt pan to push the cake forward slightly, working all the way around the cake to loosen the edges. Do the same within the interior ring of the pan. Lay a large, flat plate over the top of the cake and flip it upside down; bang on the pan a few times if needed until the cake releases.
Just before serving, lightly sift powdered sugar over the top of the cake, if you’d like. Slice and serve the cake on its own or with raspberries and whipped cream.
Tightly cover any leftover cake in plastic wrap or a cake storage bin and store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months
Credit Line: Excerpted from Phil’s Favorites: Recipes from Friends and Family to Make at Home. Copyright © 2025, Phil Rosenthal and Jenn Garbee. Photography Copyright © 2025 by Andrea D’Agosto and Richard Rosenthal. Reproduced by permission of Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.
Photo Credit: Andrea D’Agosto
