LEMON AND POPPY SEED LOAF

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup or 175 g softened butter
• 2/3 cup 150 ml Milk
• 1 cup or 200 g regular sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Grated Zest and Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 3 Tablespoons Poppy Seeds
• 1 3/4 cups or 225 g Plain / All purpose flour, sieved
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

• Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 170c, 325F. Grease and line your baking tin.
  2. Get all your ingredients ready, i.e sieve the flour, and add the salt and baking powder to the flour etc.
  3. Start with making the cake batter by creaming the butter and sugar until a pale light colour. Add the lemon extract.
  4. Slowly add the beaten eggs to the mixer, on a low speed setting, a bit at a time. If the mixture starts to curdle or split, add a spoonful of your sieved flour, keep on adding the eggs, and a bit of flour if necessary, until all the eggs are added. Add the lemon Juice, zest and poppy seeds.
  5. Add the milk with half of the flour, keeping the mixer on a slow speed. Once combined, gently fold in the remaining flour until combined.
  6. Transfer the cake mixture to the greased and lined loaf tin. Then place in the oven for 1 hr to 1 hr and 5 minutes, check after 55 minutes
  7. *** Please do test if the cake is done by using a skewer and poke it in the middle to see that it comes out clean. Every oven is different and cook times may vary a little.
  8. Have a cup of tea!
  9. When the cake is done, take it out of the oven and leave in the cake tin until cool enough to transfer to a cooling rack.
  10. Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.