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1
Place oven rack in middle position; heat oven to 300 degrees.
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2
Grease and flour one 8-inch round cake pan.
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3
Spoon flour and almonds into clean spice grinder, and process to fine meal.
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4
Transfer to medium bowl.
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5
Spoon a third of the poppy seeds into grinder, and process to break them open, adding them to almonds and flour.
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6
Repeat with remaining poppy seeds.
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7
Fluff, and separate clumps.
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8
Stir salt, cinnamon, allspice and lemon peel into ground mixture.
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9
Set aside.
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10
In bowl of mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 40 seconds.
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11
Scrape down bowl, add 3 tablespoons sugar and beat until smooth and light, 2 minutes.
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12
Add egg yolks one by one, beating well after each addition.
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13
Scrape down mixture with rubber spatula.
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14
With machine on low speed, add poppy seed mixture in three equal parts and milk in two, starting and ending with poppy seed mixture.
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15
Scrape down batter with rubber spatula, and set aside.
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16
In a separate bowl, beat 2 egg whites on medium speed with whisk attachment until foamy.
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17
(Save remaining whites for another use.)
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18
With machine running, add 1 teaspoon sugar; continue beating until soft peaks form, sprinkle in 2 remaining teaspoons sugar and beat until peaks are shiny and supple.
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19
Stir a fourth of the egg whites into cake batter with rubber spatula.
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20
Fold in remaining whites, and turn batter into cake pan, smoothing top.
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21
Bake until cake is light brown on surface and tests clean with toothpick, 35 to 40 minutes.
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22
Remove cake from oven, cool in pan on wire rack 5 minutes, turn out of pan onto rack and cool completely.
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23
Combine ingredients for glaze in small bowl, and whisk until smooth.
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24
Pour glaze all at once on surface of cooled cake, and smooth with small spatula.
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25
Let glaze become firm, slice cake and serve.
