I had a load of lemons on hand, and I figured what could be better than tinkering with a recipe for Lemon Poppy Loaf?! This loaf cake is perfect as a breakfast accompaniment or a light dessert. In fact, served with a spoonful of macerated berries and a dollop of whipped cream, this would be a dynamite summer dessert for easy entertaining.
I love this recipe because it is so very lemon forward. The cake itself is chockful of lemon zest. A lemon simple syrup keeps the cake moist while also punching up the lemon flavor. And the lemon glaze is quite literally the icing on the cake. And while there are a number of components to this Lemon Loaf, they're all very simple - I'd encourage you not to skip a single step!
Lemon Poppy Loaf
Ingredients
· 2 eggs
· 1 tsp vanilla extract
· ½ tsp almond extract
· Zest of 4 lemons
· ½ cup sour cream
· 2 tbsp poppy seeds
· 6 tbsp butter, softened
· ¾ cup sugar
· 1 ¼ cup flour
· 1 tsp baking powder
· ¼ tsp baking soda
· ¼ tsp salt
For the simple syrup
· ¼ cup sugar
· ¼ cup lemon juice
For the glaze
· 1 cup powdered sugar
· 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350F.
Liberally grease a loaf pan.
For the cake… In a small measuring cup, combine the eggs, extracts, lemon zest, sour cream and poppy seeds. Allow the seeds to soak and soften in the mixture for at least 30 minutes.
In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and gradually add the poppy seed mixture. Once thoroughly combined, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined. Do not over mix or the cake will become tough.
Pour the batter into the greased pan. Spread the batter evenly across the pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
For the simple syrup… while the cake bakes, combine the sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Heat over low until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
Allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Invert the cake out onto a plate or wire rack. Flip the cake right-side-up onto a sheetpan lined with a wire rack. Drizzle the simple syrup over the warm loaf cake. Allow the cake to cool completely.
For the glaze… whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until the mixture is very thick yet pourable and completely smooth.
Transfer the loaf to a serving platter. Drizzle the cake liberally with the glaze.
Serves 8
GF Friendly
Gluten Free Friendly!
Substitute the flour for a GF flour blend. I recommend Better Batter for this recipe.
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