MOTHER POPPLE'S POPPYSEED CAKE

1/3 cup poppy seeds
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp grated orange peel
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Flour and grease a 10-inch angel-food-pan or Bundt pan.

Stir the poppy seeds into the buttermilk. If you can remember to do this the night before and refrigerate it, the cake will be more flavorful immediately, but it will become more so anyway as it ages.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt onto wax paper. Put it aside while you cream the butter and sugar and add the eggs one at a time. Next, beat in the vanilla and grated orange peel. Now add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk-poppyseed mixture, in about 4 dollops each (beginning and ending with flour mixture) and mix it till it's just smooth.

Pour half the batter into the pan, mix sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture around, then add the rest of the batter.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 50 minutes or until cake tests done. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.

Note from source: "This has a fine satiny texture, becomes moister when it's been stored in a tightly covered tin box for several days, and freezes most successfully."