Cooking with Spices
Lelllon Poppy Seed Cake Pouring lemon .ryrUjJ over this makes it marvellously moist, while the pofJPy seeds add texture and extra flavour.
12
MAKES
40 g/llh
SQUARES OR DIAMONDS
OZN3
cup poppy seeds
115 g/4 oz/lh cup butter, softened 175 g/6
cup caster sugar
OZ/3/4
2 eggs, beaten finely grated rind of 1 lem.on 175 g/6 oz/llh cups self-raising flour, sifted 4 tbsp m.ilk TOPPING
juice of 1 lem.on 115 g/4
OZN2
cup granulated sugar
lem.on rind, to decorate
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/ gas 4. Grease a 23 x 18 cm/9 x 7 in cake tin, about 2.5 cm/] in deep. Line it with non-stick baking paper. Grind the poppy seeds in a clean coffee grinder or place between 2 sheets of clear film and crush with a rolling pin.
3 Spoon the mixture into the pre pared tin and level the surface. Bake for about 45 minutes until the cake is well risen and pale golden.
2 Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs. Stir in the lemon rind. Fold in the flour, alternately with the milk, then fold in the poppy seeds.
ea,
222
4 While the cake is baking mix the lemon juice and sugar in a bowl. Remove the cake from the oven and, without taking it out of the tin, imme diately pour the mixture evenly over the surface.
COOK'S TIP
Jj you warm the lemon in a microwave for afew seconds on High, it willyield more juice.
5 Leave the cake in the tin until com pletely cold, then cut into squares or diamonds. Decorate with fine strips of lemon rind.