British · Baking

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

A moist, tender cake of butter, lemon zest, yoghurt and poppy seeds, soaked while warm in a sharp lemon syrup.

1 hr total Serves 10 servings Easy
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Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Photograph credit: Lemon Poppy Seed Tea Cake from Tartine - 04 by Jason Lam · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake, Step by Step

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  1. Heat the oven to 170°C / 340°F (150°C / 300°F fan) and line a 20 cm round tin.

  2. Rub the lemon zest into the sugar. Beat with the butter for 4 minutes until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time.

  3. Fold in the flour, baking powder, poppy seeds, yoghurt and the 1 tbsp lemon juice until just combined.

  4. Spoon into the tin, level the top and bake for 40 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean.

  5. Stir the syrup lemon juice and sugar together until dissolved. Prick the warm cake all over and spoon the syrup over slowly. Cool in the tin.

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Small Things That Help

  • Use room-temperature eggs to avoid curdling.
  • Spoon the syrup on in stages.
  • Add a lemon glaze if you like a sweeter finish.

What Goes With Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

  • Earl Grey tea
  • Whipped cream
  • Fresh berries
  • Greek yoghurt

Keeping and Reheating

Keeps in an airtight tin for 4 days or freezes for up to 2 months.

What's in a Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

345Calories
6gProtein
42gCarbs
17gFat
1gFibre
25gSugar
130mgSodium

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Compiled by Turab

Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.

First published ; last changed .