Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake

Don't be fooled with how this looks....although I love the shape of this Bundt Loaf tin, because it tastes fabulous. The lemon syrup and glaze really add to the lemony flavour and the texture is fantastic. It was also taken to work on Friday and seemed to go down a treat. Delicious, easy and well worth making. I know I'll make it again and again.


Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake


For the Pound Cake:


225g butter
1 ½ c flour 
1/3 c poppy seeds
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt (I only added 1/4 tsp as I used salted butter)
1 ¼ c sugar
2 Tbsp grated lemon zest plus 2 teaspoons juice 
4 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Lemon Syrup

1/3 c freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/3 c sugar

For the Lemon Glaze:
1 c icing sugar, sifted
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice


Preheat the oven to 170 C. Grease bottom and sides of one 9 x 5-inch loaf pans; dust with flour, tapping out excess (I used my lovely bundt tin)


In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.


In a small bowl, toss 1 Tbsp of the flour mixture and poppy seeds together and set aside.


Melt the butter and whisk to reincorporate any separated milk solids.


In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process sugar and zest until combined, about five 1-second pulses. Add lemon juice, eggs, and vanilla; process until combined, about 5 seconds. With machine running, add melted butter through feed tube in steady stream (this should take about 20 seconds). Transfer mixture to large bowl. Sift flour mixture over eggs in three steps, whisking gently after each addition until just combined. Fold poppy seed mixture into batter after flour is incorporated.


Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 160C and continue to bake until deep golden brown and skewer inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto wire rack.


While the loaf is cooling, make the lemon syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir together the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.


Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the warm loaf. Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush again. Let the cake cool completely.


To make the lemon glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of the lemon juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. Add up to another tablespoon of lemon juice if the mixture is too stiff. Pour the lemon glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.