The🍋🍋🍋Lemon Hat Trick🎩
Lemon is like a sunshine ☀️ in the morning, (or is that what they say about orange juice?) What I do promise is that you will find this cake to be off-the-charts moist and filled with lemon X 3! Lemony poppy seed cake 🍋 is topped with a warm lemon syrup while it’s just out of the oven, saturating the warm cake with even more fresh lemon love! Then it’s topped with a sweet and lemony icing. Poppy seeds add the perfect little bite to each luscious mouthful. It’s citrus season and if you love lemons, you’re going to go crazy for this Lemon Poppy Seed Cake.
When life gives you lemons🍋
Forget the lemonade and bake a cake. We received a little dwarf lemon tree many years ago as a housewarming gift. It was in a beautiful pot and expected, honestly to be decorative. Believe me, it was beautiful and always gave us plenty of lemons. When we moved to the “country” we planted that dwarf tree in the ground and it went bananas!
How To Make This 🍋 Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
I doubled this recipe and made two loafs at the same time and it worked perfectly.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Generously grease and flour a 8½ x 4¼ x 2½-inch loaf pan. You can also spray with non-stick cooking spray and flour the pan as well.
In a medium sized bowl, add 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt, whisk to combine. In another medium sized bowl, whisk together the 1 cup plain Greek yogurt. I used non-fat, but you can use any kind. Next, whisk in 1 cup sugar, 3 eggs, 2 tablespoons of lemon zest and 1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and add 1/4 cup of poppy seeds.
Finally, add 1/2 cup of vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it’s fully incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
For The Lemon Syrup 🍋
Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan add 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice and 1/4 cup sugar. Simmer on medium-low heat just until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. Using a tooth pick, poke the top of the cake all over. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Let the cake cool completely.
For the Lemon Icing🍋
In a small bowl, add 1 cup confectioners/powdered sugar and 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Mix to combine. It should be fairly thick, but loose enough to drizzle over the top of the cake. Let the cake sit while the icing sets on the cake.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup plain Greek Yogurt (fat-free, 2% or full fat or substitute sour cream)
- 1 granulated sugar
- 3 extra-large eggs
- 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup poppy seeds
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the syrup
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the glaze:
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Garnish:
- Fresh, very thinly sliced lemons are fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Generously grease and flour a 8½ x 4¼ x 2½-inch loaf pan. You can also spray with non-stick cooking spray and flour the pan as well.
- In a medium sized bowl, add 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt, whisk to combine.
- In another medium sized bowl, whisk together the 1 cup plain Greek yogurt. I used non-fat, but you can use any kind.
- Next, whisk in 1 cup sugar, 3 eggs, 2 tablespoons of lemon zest and 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
- Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and add 1/4 cup of poppy seeds. Finally, add 1/2 cup of vegetable oil into the batter, whisking well, to ensure sure it's fully incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan on medium low heat, heat 1/3 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup sugar in until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
- When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the pan and carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan, top side up.
- Using a tooth pick, poke the top of the cake all over.
- While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in.
- Let the cake cool completely.
- In a small bowl, add 1 cup confectioners/powdered sugar and 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Mix to combine. It should be fairly thick, but loose enough to drizzle over the top of the cake.
- Top the cake with the icing
- Let the cake sit while the icing sets on the cake.
Karen Harris https://www.bittersaltysoursweet.com
