- Will cut up into 12 slices of loaf cake - Ready in 1 hour 15 minutes -
Gather together...
130 g butter, well-softened (put thin slices in in a heating-up oven for 2 - 3 minutes or roughly grate it).
3/4 of a cup (165g on the scales) caster / granulated white sugar.
1 cup self-raising flour (130g on the scales) .
1 tsp baking powder (sieved).
3 medium, free-range eggs (lightly beaten).
Zest of 2 average-sized lemons (approximately 25g of zest), finely grated.
Juice of 1 average-sized lemon (approximately 1/4 cup or 50ml of juice).
2 tbsp poppy seeds.
Get cooking...
Preheat the oven to 170°C (150 C fan) or Gas 3.
Line a 900g loaf tin (9"x5") with a greaseproof paper liner (you can get a reusable loaf tin liner, but it is a bit fiddly to use and your cake will come out rather oddly shaped as the excess material folds in on itself - we happily use one but I thought I'd warn you!).
Put the 130g of soft / grated butter and the 3/4 of a cup of white sugar into a large bowl and mix well, for 1 minute, until fluffy (preferably with an electric beater). Then add everything else (the 1 cup of SR flour, sieve in the 1 tsp baking powder, add the 3 medium beaten eggs, the zest of 2 lemons, the juice of 1 lemon and the 2 tbsp poppy seeds) to the bowl and mix for 30 seconds, until everything is smooth and combined.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top gently.
Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer, inserted into the centre, comes out clean. Check after 40 minutes to see that it isn't browning too much, if it is then cover with foil. If, once baked, the top still looks too pale, grill it on HIGH for 2 minutes.
When the cake is cooked, remove it from the oven and place it onto a wire rack, using the liner to help you lift the cake out of the tin. Allow the loaf cake to cool fully.
Store the cake in an airtight container, in a cool place and eat it up within three days.
Find a use for the left-over de-zested lemon - I slice and de-pip it, then 'open freeze' the lemon slices on a tray and then decant them into a jar in the freezer, to use instead of ice cubes in a jug of water on a hot day.