May 17, 2011

To Try Tuesday - Poppy Seed Pound Cake For Monet



Sometimes we get a reminder of how fragile life is and realize that we should never miss the opportunity to tell someone that they mean the world to us.  If you have someone special to you, go and tell them right now how much you love them.  Go on, I'll still be here when you get back.

Recently, someone in our blogging family lost a sister and a nephew in an accident.  In that single moment everything changed and life would never be the same again for her or her family.  I have never met Monet in person, but I feel like I know her through her blog.  I don't know how to explain how it feels to read her blog except that it makes you feel like a member of her family.  She has a serenity to her writing and the love she has for her family shines through, and you can almost reach out and touch the closeness she shares with them.  When we read about this terrible tragedy we all wanted to help in any way that we could.  How do you go on after something like this happens?  Why did something like this happen to such a lovely person?  Where do we start to help her healing begin?  It turns out that for many people Monet was the one who helped us deal with these difficult questions.  In her own gentle way she knew what she needed to do and she took time for herself and her family as they came to terms with this horrible accident.





From her posts you could feel the closeness that Monet and her three sisters - Pam, Susanne, and Noelle  - felt for each other.  You can see it radiate from the pictures that Monet shared with us.  I know this look and feel because I see it in my four daughters, and I pray they never lose it. 

In her recent post for Mandarin Spice Shortbread Monet has one line in the post that reads "quite simply: we lived".  This line really struck me because when all is said and done that is all we can do in the face of tragedy.  Take one day at a time and recognize it for the gift that it is.






I made this pound cake today in honor of Monet's family.  It is a beautiful pound cake with tiny black poppy seeds, and just a hint of almond.  As I mixed it together I thought of those I love and those who have been lost to us.  As soon as the cake was cool enough to remove from the pan I cut that first piece, split it into smaller pieces, and shared it with my husband and my daughters.  Tomorrow, it will be shared with our friends.

I encourage everyone reading this post to visit Monet's blog, anecdotes and apple cores.  It is beautifully written and there are some amazing recipes. Monet has faced an incredibly difficult year with grace and determination and I think we can all learn something from her. 
 




Classic Poppy Seed Pound Cake
(Printer Friendly Recipe) 

Ingredients
  • 16 Tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), cold
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla or almond extract
  • 1¾ cups cake flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ⅓ cup poppy seeds
  • 1¼ cups sugar
Preparation
  1. Cut butter into one tablespoon pieces and place in bowl of standing mixer. Allow to sit for 20 to 30 minutes to soften slightly (around 60 degrees). 
  2. Using fork, beat together eggs and egg yolks in a liquid measuring cup. Allow to stand at room temperature until ready to use.
  3. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and generously grease and flour a 9x5 inch baking pan. 
  4. Using standing mixer, beat together butter and salt at high speed until shiny and creamy, 2-3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and with mixer running, pour in sugar. Increase speed to medium-high and beat mixture until light and fluffy, 5-8 minutes.
  5. With mixer running at medium speed, gradually add egg mixture in a slow and steady stream. Beat mixture until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.
  6. In a small bowl, combine your flour and poppy seeds. In three additions, add flour into butter/egg mixture, folding gently with a rubber spatula.
  7. Transfer batter to prepared pan, smooth surface and bake until golden brown, 60-75 minutes.
  8. Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto wire rack. Turn cake right side up and allow to cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.

* Adapted by Monet from a recipe in Cook's Illustrated.

17 comments:

  1. Lovely cake...and a wonderful dedication to our friend, Monet! You've shared a great message, too...life is fragile, so live every moment.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have printed out the recipe for Monet's Poppyseed Poundcake. I've "known" Monet for a joyful year or more and love the way she lives her life. How wonderful it would be to sit down with the two of your and enjoy a slice of this goodness. I'm so very happy to meet you as well.

    Best,
    Bonnie

    ReplyDelete
  3. A beautiful gesture Felice, you are so right about Monet's writing and her grace and determination. My thoughts continue to go out to her and her family. The pound cake looks so lovely, just like Monet.
    Please everyone, go read her blog, it is fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beautiful tribute!!! I recently found out about Monet through other blogs and I agree that her family and writing are beautiful! ((((HUGS)))) to Monet and all her family and those out there going through something similar!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lovely post and message - and a lovely cake to go with it. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This cake is a wonderful tribute to Monet and the life lessons that we have learned in the past year from her. She has faced many tragedies this past year with grace and strength. I. too have never met her, but feel like I know her.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, Felice... what a wonderful post. I actually just came from Monet's blog and once again she had words that summed up life.
    "I think of all the days that Pam lived, that Jeremy lived, and I'm sure that many of them felt ordinary, seemed like nothing special. But taken in collection, those days produced something beautiful, something that hundreds of people deeply miss"

    She truly has such a wonderful way with her words.

    As for your cake (and your photos!!) Wow!! My husband enjoys poppy seed cake and I haven't made one for quite some time. I just may have to surprise him!

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a lovely gesture Felice.
    Monet has been in my prayers for a while now, love reading her post and the love for her family shines through.
    Your bread looks great. Love adding poppy seeds to desserts.
    Thanks for sharing Felice.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Now I know I need to make this pound cake. Yours looks delicious and is a beautiful tribute to Monet :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi! I came over from Monet' Facebook page, and I just wanted to say I think this post is such a lovely tribute to Monet. I love her blog and her writing too, and I have learned a lot from her in the few months I have been visiting her blog. And now, I am glad to have found your blog through hers! The cake looks really lovely, and I will visit your blog again...

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a beautiful post. I don't know that I know Monet, (I'm headed over there right after this comment). But, clearly you are a very dear blog-friend and I love how your empathy for her and her loss has inspired you to revel in the moments we have in this lifetime. Very inspiring. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is so touching... what a beautiful tribute, Felice. You are an amazing friend!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Lovely recipe in honor of Monet. It was such a horrible thing and I am so glad everyone has rallied around her.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I couldn't agree more - her writing is beautiful and so heartfelt!

    ReplyDelete
  15. What happened to Monet is unthinkable. I"m sure she needs loads of support and encouragement from all of us. Love that you made one of her recipes and dedicated a post to her.
    Love poppy seed cakes. Looks great :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. OMG! This sounds so good! I am definitely going to have to try this one. You should follow me at http://jennyeisen.blogspot.com. I've got some great easy recipes

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting my blog. I'd love to hear from you, so please leave a comment.