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This month, we’re featuring summer picnic recipes. Today, April of Rhubarb & Rose shares one of her favorite portable treats: this glazed lemon poppy seed cake, which is the perfect ending to an outdoor meal. Here’s how she makes it…
Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf Cake
By April Carter of Rhubarb & Rose
Summertime in London can be unpredictable, so it’s a real event when the sun comes out and everyone heads to the park. This cake makes for a refreshing, lemony end to a picnic on a warm day. The poppy seeds provide a bit of crunch, but feel free to leave them out if you don’t have any. The loaf shape makes it easy to transport, and it’s perfectly happy being carried across town, or on a hot underground journey wrapped in parchment paper.
Recipe: Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf Cake
You’ll need:
For the cake:
¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
2 eggs
¼ cup milk
¼ cup poppy seeds
Zest of 2 lemons
For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
Juice of ½ lemon
Poppy seeds, for sprinkling
Heat the oven to 350F and butter and line a one pound (4½ x 2½ x 8½ inch) loaf tin with baking parchment. Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, milk, poppy seeds and lemon zest and beat until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as you go.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and remove the baking parchment.
While the cake is cooling, make the glaze. Use a spoon to beat the powdered sugar with enough lemon juice to form a runny but opaque glaze. Set the cooled cake on a wire rack and drizzle over the glaze. Sprinkle over the poppy seeds and allow the glaze to set for a few minutes before packaging up. It’s the perfect portable dessert.
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Thank you so much, April!
P.S. More best recipes, including chocolate chip banana muffins and raspberry coffee cake…
(Photos and recipe by April Carter of Rhubarb & Rose. Thanks to Caroline Donofrio for helping with this series.)
