Lemon Poppyseeds Cake - Petits Gâteaux au Citron et Graines de Pavot

No "bon petit plat" on the menu tonight... so I figured I was going to bake some cookies for dessert in order to compensate for the lack of what-my-husband-would-consider-an-acceptable entrée.
The Holiday season being in full blast in the US, everybody is baking cookies... so I had my eyes on "sandies" cookies, a sort of Spanish/Mexican polvorones, which I just love. Back when I was working in San Francisco, a Spanish colleague of mine would always bring a few boxes back when he was going home to Barcelona for the Holidays. It was a real treat and I could have eaten the whole box by myself!
Today, I had all the ingredients ready, followed the recipe au pied de la lettre, made little balls and baked them in the oven. Only to discover, as I was checking for any sign of coloring, that CATASTROPHE, I did not have round balls anymore. Just flat balls! Why? I don't know. The recipe did not call for refrigerating the dough before baking the cookies and, for once, I really did follow the recipe! Oh well, tant pis! I'll try another recipe... I have not trashed them (unlike some carrots cupcakes I made the other day that were immangeables) because, as flat as they are, they do taste good.
Mis-happens in the kitchen happen to me. More than you would think, especially when I involve my children! I always laugh at myself... because, as I try to teach my children, there are more important things in life, than des petits gâteaux ratés. I always use my mistakes to build on the "trial and error" process that they should embrace instead of throwing out their markers because their dog does not look "comme un chien" (and when it comes to drawing, don't ask me. It's not in my DNA.)
I know that my children enjoy when I make mistakes in the kitchen : they can make fun of me, and that, they love!! They always try to give me advice (cute, non?).. so we talk about recipes, ingredients, and what we really would like to eat these days (my daughter said "des escargots" (snails that is!!)) My whole point is that it would not do anybody good to stress/be furious about mis-haps in the kitchen! Make fun of it! Have a good laugh with/without your kids! Engage them to try to solve the problems. They love it and are great support. "C'est pas grave, hein maman?"
So, flat sandies for dessert... but if I have time, maybe I'll make these little lemon poppyseeds cakes... but I don't have time to make lemoncurd to go with it. Une prochaine fois! Bon Appétit!

 Ingredients:
- 3 eggs
- 6 Tbs (90 g) sugar
- 1 Tbs (30g) honey
- 2 Tbs (60 g) heavy cream
- 1.5 cup flour (165 g)
- 1 ts baking powder
- 1/2 ts baking soda
- 7 Tbs (90g) salted butter, melted and at room temperature
- 2 lemons zested
- 2 Tbs (1 FLo or 30 ml)  lemon juice
- 2 Tbs poppy seeds
- 1/4 ts grounded cardamon (optional)

 For the syrup:
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 Tbs (15g) sugar

• Preheat oven to 330 F (165 C)
• Melt the butter and reserve
• In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, honey and lemon zest. 
• Pour in the heavy cream and mix thoroughly
• Add flour, baking powder and baking soda, poppy seeds (and cardamon)
• Add melted room-temperature butter, mix well
• Add lemon juice and mix well until smooth again
• Divide in molds
• Cook in the oven for about 20-30 minutes. An insert should come up clean
• While the cakes are cooking, make the syrup by combining lemon juice and sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat for about 10-15 mn. The liquid should thicken a little bit. Let cool.
• Spread over the cakes before serving or let people dip their cake into the syrup.

My Personal Comments:

• You could make a whole loaf, add a little bit of cooking time
• Perfect to serve with lemoncurd.