Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake

This recipe is taken from Taste Perfect Home Cooking with David Herbert in The Weekend Australian magazine May 5-6 2007, page 40.


photo on the way


4 tablespoons poppy seeds
3/4 cup milk
juice of 1/2 lemon
250gm unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (250gm) Castor sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon
4 eggs
2 cups (300 gm) plain flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
lemon syrup - recipe below

- oven 180C
- grease a 25cm kugelhopf, bundt or ring tin
- soak poppy seeds in milk and and lemon juice for 1 hour
- beat butter, sugar and lemon zest in a bowl for 3-4 minutes until pale and fluffy
- beat in eggs, one at a time, alternating with a little flour until combined.
- sift together remaining flour and baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, then fold into mixture
- gently stir in milk and poppy seed mixture until smooth and combined
- spoon into prepared tin
-bake 55 - 60 minutes
- allow to cool in tin for 5 minutes then turn out on a cooling rack
- brush hot lemon syrup over top and sides of cake
- leave to cool

Lemon Syrup
- combine juice from 2 lemons add 125gm Castor sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring to dissolve sugar, then simmer gently for 5 minutes