I was brainstorming many ideas for a mini-loaf, and one of the first combinations that came in my mind was lemon and poppy seed. I wanted to do something very light and colourful and it checked all the boxes. There’s something about that which just screams of summer; not just the monochrome yellow. But, I didn’t want it to be just a plain old loaf. My idea was to do lemon in multiple ways to highlight it as the main ingredient and then have something like poppy accompany it. The components are very simple, really. We have a lemon and poppy seed loaf with a lemon curd and candied lemon slices. I really like how we can use every part (the zest and the juice) in most of the components; that emphasises on the use of lemons. The end result is an extremely moist cake (that’s the buttermilk!) with a lemony zing to it. The candied lemon definitely contrasts the cake, being a play on sweet and sour. As I said before, this gives out an aura of summer!

Lemon & Poppy Seed Loaf

Lemon cake:

• ½ cup + 6 tbsp. sugar
• ½ cup softened butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1¼ cup flour
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• A pinch of salt
• ½ cup buttermilk
• Zest and juice of 1½ lemons
• 1 tbsp. poppy seeds
• 1 tbsp. water

Preheat your oven to 180˚C. Lightly grease a loaf pan with oil and line with parchment paper at the bottom. In a bowl, cream together 1/2 cup of sugar and butter. Then gradually blend in the egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder and incorporate into the creamed butter-sugar mixture. Add the baking soda to the buttermilk and incorporate into the batter. Gently fold in the lemon zest and poppy seeds. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. While the loaf bakes, combine the lemon juice and water with the remaining 6 tbsp. of sugar and simmer on a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Once the cake is removed, allow it to cool for about 5 minutes before carefully drizzling the lemon syrup over the top, making sure it’s all soaked in.

Candied lemon slices:

• 1 lemon
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• ½  tsp. salt

Slice the lemon in about 1/5 inch thick slices. Place the slices on a parchment lined tray. Mix the salt and sugar and evenly sprinkle on both sides of each slice. Bake in the oven along with the cake for about 35-40 minutes.

• Juice and zest from 1 1/2 lemons
• 1 1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• A pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter

On a medium heat, whisk together the lemon juice, zest, corn starch, sugar and salt until it starts to thicken and clings to your whisk. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter. Pass the lemon curd through a sieve. Depending on the sourness of your lemons, you may need to add more sugar.

Bring everything together:

Once all the syrup has been absorbed by the cake, let it cool for about 5 more minutes. Evenly spread the lemon curd on top, followed by the candied lemon slices. And voila!

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