Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake with Ranch Dressing #Recipe

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Did you read the title correctly? Yes, yes you did.  Think Kraft Pourable dressings are only for an easy pasta salad or dipping sauces?  HA!  Think again!  I guarantee you will want to bake this Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake with Ranch Dressing once you read all about it! While this might sound like a strange combination to you, believe me, I felt the same way….until I tasted it.  Before I get to the recipe you are probably wondering why in the world I would bake a cake with Salad Dressing right?

Jude, my oldest, is not a big chocolate eater (CRAZY I KNOW!) and he is always asking for Lemon flavored treats and desserts. Well one afternoon I got the itch to bake and wanted to try something that Jude would love. A Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake! I got online and researched a good recipe and got to the kitchen and started mixing everything up. BUT when I went to the fridge to grab the sour cream I realized that I didn’t have the amount I needed for the recipe! NO!!!! Oven was on, mixer was mixing and I was missing one of the main ingredients!! Now what? Well I did what anyone would do – grab the item that most Americans love to top and dip EVERYTHING on and in! Kraft Pourable Ranch Salad Dressing! I thought for sure my yummy idea was going down the sink…fast! But, I went with the flow and man I am glad I did.  

The addition of the Creamy Classic Kraft Ranch dressing just made this pound cake my new favorite salad dressing recipe! The creamy buttermilk and savory herbs of the ranch dressing tones down the sour and sweet of this recipe perfectly. I don’t always dig out my pretty pink stand mixer but when I do, you better believe it will be a creative treat that you will never forget!  

I know….you don’t believe me but maybe these pictures will help?

Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake with Ranch Dressing

Free printable Recipe here!

Ingredients:

For the Cake –
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups of sugar
5 eggs
1/4 cup of milk
6 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup Ranch Dressing
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp lemon extract
2 TBSP Poppy Seeds

For the drizzle –
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed is best!)
Blueberries for topping (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease your pans WELL! SERIOUSLY!

2. Cream butter and shortening. Gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed.

3. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each additional egg.

4. Add sour cream, Kraft Pourable Ranch Salad Dressing and milk slowly. Mixing continuously. 

5. Add baking powder. Then slowly add the flour while mixing on low.

6. Stir in extracts and poppy seeds.

7. Pour batter into prepared pan(s). Bake for 30-60 minutes depending on pans used. Insert tooth picks into center, if clean it is baked thoroughly.

8. While cake is cooling start creating the drizzle for the topping.

9. Combine the 1 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup lemon juice in a small bowl. Using a spoon stir to create a nice thick topping.

10. Once cake is cooled remove from pan and top with drizzle and blueberries! Enjoy!!

This particular recipe makes a large cake and now that I know that I like to make a family size portion but then also make little individual sizes to easily share with friends and coworkers. Another great plus to this recipe is that it is a great low cost recipe – I plan to make little mini pound cakes for yummy Christmas gifts this year! Something different than the typical bread recipe gifts for holidays. Can you imagine the looks I would get when I hand a cake to Jude’s teachers that is labeled “Made with Ranch Dressing”? Oh the fun!

Now that I have introduced my son to this recipe he will never want the Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake any other way and honestly me either.  I have made this cake a couple of times since and I still, even if I have enough sour cream, put the classic Ranch Dressing in the mixing bowl!  

To dive into this creation and pack your pantry full of family favorites make sure you stop at your local Walmart to pick up the new Kraft Pourables! Reinvented with a new, better taste! Find them in your salad dressing aisle.

Have you ever experimented in the kitchen and came out successful with a new family favorite dish or recipe?