Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
A moist, sweet-tart lemon poppy seed ring cake drizzled with lemon syrup and finished with a lemon glaze — a perfect match for afternoon tea.
Ingredients
unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
85 g
caster sugar
245 g
lemon zest
1½ unwaxed lemons
poppy seeds (extra for decoration)
15 g
whole milk
165 ml
plain flour
235 g
baking powder
2 tsp
salt
½ tsp
egg whites
3
lemon juice and zest (for lemon syrup)
1 lemon
caster sugar (for lemon syrup)
50 g
lemon juice (for lemon glaze)
1 lemon
icing sugar (sifted, for lemon glaze)
250 g
24 cm ring mould (greased and dusted)
1
Instructions
1
Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) / gas mark 3.
2
Cream the butter and sugar
Place the butter, sugar, lemon zest and poppy seeds in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until everything is thoroughly combined (don't worry if the mixture looks a little separated). Slowly pour in the milk and continue beating until incorporated.
3
Add the flour
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three additions, using a rubber spatula to scrape down any unmixed ingredients from the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat well until everything is combined and the mixture is light and fluffy.
4
Whisk the egg whites
In another bowl, use a hand-held electric whisk to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Using a metal spoon, gently fold the beaten egg whites into the cake batter until evenly combined, taking care not to over-mix.
5
Bake
Pour the batter into the prepared ring mould and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the cake springs back when pressed.
6
Make the lemon syrup
While the cake is baking, combine the lemon juice and zest, sugar and 100 ml of water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil over a low heat. Increase the heat and simmer until reduced by half, or until a thin syrup forms.
7
Drizzle with syrup
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, pour all of the syrup over the top. Leave to cool slightly, then turn out of the mould and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
8
Make the lemon glaze
Mix the lemon juice and icing sugar together until smooth. The consistency should be thick but pourable; add a little water or icing sugar as needed to adjust.
9
Decorate
Once the cake is completely cool, place it on a cake stand, drizzle over the glaze and decorate with poppy seeds.
