Triple Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf

It’s almost that time of the year…will the groundhog see his shadow? I’ll tell ya what, he better NOT! I’ve never been more over Wisconsin winters than I am at this stage of life, I swear! And as the Midwest continues to hang out in below zero temps, I am dreaming of spring even harder. YUCK. I was wanting something springy, uplifting, and oven baked! This Triple Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf is like a quick bread loaf cake mash up! It features the main ingredient, lemon – in three really unique ways! I made a lemon sugar to mix into the batter, a lemon syrup to soak the cake, and a lemon icing to top it all off! Since I’m not the biggest fan of sweets, this loaf was perfect because those sweet and sour flavors were so balanced! This was so good and it totally felt like sunshine!

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When did lemon and poppy seed become the dynamic duo that it is today?

Lemon and poppy seed became bffs way back in the 1700’s in Europe! Actually, the earliest written recipe pairing these two ingredients was in a wedding dessert! Poppy seeds were already popular in Europe, and the lemons were available via trade routes, making it a luxury flavor used to cut through rich, buttery pastries!

Around the 1800-1900’s lemon poppy seed started to show up in a variety of new ways, like in cakes, tea breads, and buns, spreading all throughout Scandinavia, Germany, and Austria! And by the 20th century, when Americans got their hands on this idea, they boomed into the moist and delicious muffins and quick breads we know today!

Did you know?

Poppy seeds are one of the oldest spices, EVER! Archeologists have actually come across poppy seeds that were over 6,000 years old! They’d been buried in tombs with pharaohs who, in ancient Egypt, believed poppy seeds were symbols of nourishment and afterlife! They’re also naturally resistant to going rancid! Pretty interesting!

When combined with fat, these little seeds unlock a whole new nutty type of flavor that they otherwise wouldn’t have! And even though they’re super, super small – they actually have a ton of nutrients in them like calcium, fiber, and antioxidants!

What ingredients do I need to make this triple lemon poppy seed loaf?

For the lemon sugar:

Lemon Zest
Granulated Sugar

For the poppy seeds:

Poppy Seeds
Grapeseed Oil

For the batter:

Eggs
Sour Cream
Lemon Juice
Vanilla
Flour
Baking Powder
Salt

For the lemon syrup:

Lemon Juice
Granulated Sugar

For the lemon icing:

Lemon Juice
Lemon Zest
Powdered Sugar
Salt

What equipment do I need?

• Mixing Bowls
• Whisk
• 9×5 Loaf Pan
• Cutting Board
• Chef Knife
• Zester
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Juicer
• Wooden Spoon
• Silicone Brush
• Cooling Rack

How do I make it?

To make the lemon sugar:

The first thing you’ll want to do is make your lemon sugar, since it’s the backbone of the batter! First wash and dry 3 lemons, then zest them!

In a small bowl, add the granulated sugar and the lemon zest and use your hands to thoroughly combine the two. Let it sit there for a few minutes to release those essential oils!

To bloom the poppy seeds:

Next, we’ll want to get our poppy seeds “blooming” in the grapeseed oil, so that way we can incorporate them into the batter! Add the poppy seeds and the grapeseed oil to a small dish, whisk to combine, and let it sit for a bit! This yanks that nutty flavor out of the poppy seeds and incorporates it into our bread! Pretty neat, huh?

Now let’s make the loaf batter!

Next, we’ll want to make our batter! Preheat the oven to 350F and get out a large mixing bowl. Crack the eggs inside, then dump in the lemon sugar. Whisk vigorously, until slightly thickened.

Grab one of the lemons we zested earlier, squeeze some juice from into a measuring cup, then add it to the bowl. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and the poppy seed oil, and whisk to combine.

Next, whisk in the flour, baking powder, and salt until fully incorporated and at a batter consistency. Don’t overmix!

Line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper not only for easy cleanup, but this will also help us lift the baked bread out later, without potentially damaging it! Dump the batter in and bake it for a while!

While that’s baking, let’s get started on our lemon syrup!

To make the lemon syrup:

Squeeze some more fresh lemon juice, measure it out and dump into a small saucepan, then add the granulated sugar for the lemon syrup. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring often, until sugar has dissolved.

Set aside to cool until ready to use.

To apply the lemon syrup soak:

Check the oven to see if the lemon poppy seed loaf is done! When it has a golden-brown hue on top, and the top springs back at you from a slight poke, it’s ready! Remove from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for a few minutes. This is when we’ll want to apply the soak, when the bread is still hot.

Transfer the lemon syrup to a bowl or measuring cup and using a silicone brush, brush that soak over the hot bread. We don’t want to pour it, because then it’ll get all soggy! By brushing it on and allowing the syrup to absorb into the bread, it soaks in there creating moisture and infusing the bread with more lemony flavor!

Repeat until all of the syrup is used up, then lift the bread out of the pan by the parchment paper and move to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Now let’s make the lemon icing!

Wash another lemon, dry it off, grab some zest from it, and some more lemon juice. Instead of cutting into a new one, you could use some juice from the other lemons we cut up.

Add the juice, zest, powdered sugar, and salt to a mixing bowl and whisk until an icing forms!

To serve triple lemon poppy seed loaf:

When lemon loaf is completely cooled, spread some parchment paper underneath the baking rack and drizzle the icing all over the bread! It doesn’t have to be perfect or anything. I drizzled mine and let it drip down the sides, then it dried into this incredibly imperfect crackled topping! YUM!

Pro Tip: The salt in the icing helps give it that “cracked” texture, which is pretty cool!

Slice lemon poppy seed bread and enjoy! This is the perfect breakfast bread, snack, it even makes a great dessert!

Tips:

• This recipe took me about 4 whole lemons, with some leftover that were zested, but not juiced. They’ll stay good if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week! Perfect for making more lemony recipes with!
• My lemon loaf calls for room temperature eggs. This isn’t a MUST have – but using the eggs at room temperature will help the batter blend more smoothly and allow the bread to bake more evenly.
• Make sure the icing has set before storing the loaf cake, otherwise it could end up sticky and runny!
• Store this bread at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. No need to refrigerate! If you need to extend the life beyond the 3 days, it can be stored in the refrigerator for 4 additional days, just keep in mind this may dry the bread out a bit.
• You can also tightly wrap this loaf and freeze it for up to 2 months!

Looking for some more springy baking recipes? Check these out!

• Carrot Crumble Muffins
• Strawberry Scone Cookie with Lemon Icing
• Carrot Cake Bars

Obsessed with lemon? Try these!

• Lemon Herb Chicken Drumsticks
• Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
• Lemon Pepper Pumpkin Seeds