lemon cake Archives - Page 2 of 2 - H is for Home Harbinger

Whenever I ask Justin what kind of cake he fancies, his reply always starts with the word ‘lemon’.

Lemon isn’t my own personal favourite, but I decided to grant his wish today.

I’ve made him lemon drizzle cake, lemon curd tarts, lemon marmalade bars, lemon & polenta berry squares, lemon refrigerator cookies…

So something new – lemon & poppy seed loaf.

It has the sharpness of citrus combined with a slightly earthy tone provided by the poppy seeds.

The cake batter is quick and easy to make.

I folded whisked egg whites into the batter so the texture wasn’t too dense and heavy.

The resulting loaf is substantial, but also light and open textured.

It’s topped with a lemon glaze and a zingy, crunchy sugar topping…

…another request from the lemon-meister!

It’s one of those perfect afternoon cakes to complement a nice cuppa… and his Lordship is very happy!

Lemon & poppy seed loaf

Course Tea

Cuisine British

Servings 8

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter & caster sugar until light & fluffy
Mix in the egg yolks
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt
Mix in the poppy seeds
In a measuring jug, add the buttermilk, lemon juice and lemon zest (reserve a pinch of the zest for the glaze)
Add the dry, flour mixture to the butter/sugar/egg mixture in two batches; interspersing it with adding the buttermilk & lemon mixture
Whisk the egg whites into stiff peaks before folding into the mixture
Spoon the mixture into the greased loaf tin and bake on the lowest shelf for 40-50 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes away clean.. If the top of the loaf begins to get too brown, cover with tin foil
Whilst the cake is cooking, make the glaze.
Add the lemon juice & icing sugar to a small measuring jug and stir until any lumps have been removed. Set aside
In a small bowl, add the granulated sugar & lemon zest and with your fingers using a crumbing motion. Set aside
Once cooked, remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the tin
Whilst still warm and using a pastry brush, spread the lemon juice & icing sugar glaze uniformly over the top
Once completely cool, remove the cake from the tin a place on a cake plate
Sprinkle the granulated sugar & lemon zest mixture over the top of the glazed cake
It's now ready to serve!

Keyword cake, lemon, loaf cake, poppy seeds, tea loaf

Lemon marmalade bars

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 25

Total Time 50

Course Dessert

Servings 16 small slices

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4
Line a 20cm/8in square tin with tin foil, making sure the foil goes up & over the sides
Slice one of lemons into 8 wedges lengthwise then slice each eighth into small pieces, making sure to remove the seeds
In a small bowl, mix the slices with the sugar, rubbing the sugar into the lemon with your fingers to help extract the lemon oil
Set aside for about an hour at room temperature
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour with the caster sugar, ¼tsp salt, melted butter and vanilla essence
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth down with the back of a spoon, making sure it goes right into the corners
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown
While the base is cooking, finish preparing the filling
Juice the remaining lemon, measure out 3 tbsp of juice and set aside
Using a food processor, blitz the macerated lemon & sugar mixture until smooth
Add the lemon juice, eggs, cornflour, ¼ tsp salt and melted butter
Purée again until the mixture is smooth
Once the base is cooked, remove the tin from the oven and reduce the temperature to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2
Carefully pour the lemon filling over the cooked crust and return the tin to the oven
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the mixture is just set
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan
Dust with icing sugar prior to serving
Using the edges of the tin foil, lift the cake out of the tin and cut into squares, rectangles or diamond shapes