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Lemon Poppy Loaf with a Hint of Rosewater

Desserts
Lemon Poppy Loaf

“If life hands you lemons, make lemonade! Words to live by, especially when you kept in mind that the only way to make them into lemonade was to squeeze the hell out of them.”

— Stephen King

Bake a lemon poppyseed loaf, Bake a tasty opiate loaf.

Poppy Seeds, those tiny innocent-looking black kernels that get stuck in your teeth, contain trace amounts of opiates and may cause people, especially Elaine Benes from Seinfeld, to flunk their drug test. As a matter of fact, they are banned in Singapore. In small quantities, as in baked goods, salad dressings, or granola, they are harmless, but in large quantities, they can be dangerously habit-forming and are predominantly used for pain management by healthcare professionals. Humans figured out this attribute of poppy seeds a while ago as archeological evidence reveals that Egyptians used poppy seeds as a sedative. However, there is no evidence of them baking with it, so sad.

This lemon poppyseed loaf tastes sweet and tangy, bursting with a zesty mouth-watering citrus flavor because our recipe includes a generous amount of lemon zest layered throughout the batter along with fresh lemon juice to maximize that fruity tangy edge we love. The Rosewater in the recipe is my Persian touch that may be skipped, but this is the ingredient that usually has everyone intrigued.

Have fun baking.

Lemon Poppy Loaf

Lemon Poppy Loaf With A Hint Of Rosewater

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients
  

Dry

  • 5 cups all-purpose flour or gluten-free bread mix
  • 1 1/2 TBSP poppy seeds
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Wet (at room temperature)

  • 6 TBSP buttermilk
  • 2 TBSP lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 lb butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 TBSP lemon zest ~3 large lemons
  • 2 extra-large eggs

Syrup

  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 2 TBSP rosewater
  • 1/4 cup sugar

Glaze

  • 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 TBSP of warm water

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl combine all ingredients from the Dry list. Set aside.
  • In a smaller bowl, combine the first 4 ingredients from the Wet list. Set aside. This is the buttermilk mixture.
  • In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer ’till soft and frothy (~5 min). If you don’t have a mixer, partially melt the butter and whisk in the sugar ’till creamy. Mix in the lemon zest. Whisk in the eggs one at a time. This is your butter batter. Alternately add the flour and buttermilk mixture to the butter batter and mix ’till smooth.
  • Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  • Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan. Turn upside down to rid of excess flour. Line with parchment paper, if you have any.
  • Pour batter in. Smooth the top. Place in the oven and bake for 45 min OR ’ 'til the edges brown and the inserted toothpick to the center comes out clean.
  • Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, stir together the first two ingredients from the Syrup list and cook on low heat ’till the sugar is dissolved and the syrup thickens(~4-5 min). Add the rosewater and stir.
  • When the cake is done, allow it to cool well, otherwise, your cake will crumble.
  • Invert the pan and the loaf should drop out. Place on a plate.
  • Spoon over the lemon syrup, and gently massage it in.
  • In a bowl, mix the glaze ingredients with a fork. Add water for the desired consistency.
  • Pour the glaze over the cake and allow to drizzle to sides.
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Deliciousness in the Treasure State

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