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!
Equipment
Ingredients
For the lemon sugar:
- Zest from 3 lemons
- ¾ cup Granulated Sugar
For the poppy seeds:
- ½ cup Grapeseed Oil or another neutral oil like vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp Poppy Seeds
For the batter:
- 2 Eggs room temperature
- ½ cup Sour Cream
- ⅓ cup Lemon Juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 ½ cups Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
For the lemon syrup:
- ¼ cup Lemon Juice freshly squeezed
- 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
For the lemon icing:
- ¾ cup Powdered Sugar
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tsp Lemon Zest
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
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 it into our batter!
- Add the poppy seeds and the grapeseed oil to a small dish, whisk to combine, and let it sit for about 10 minutes while you make the batter! This step is optional but recommended for max nutty poppy seed flavor!
To make the loaf batter:
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and get out a large mixing bowl.
- Crack the eggs inside, then dump in that lemon sugar. Whisk vigorously, until slightly thickened.
- Grab one of the lemons we zested earlier and get the lemon juice from it. Then add it to the bowl along with the sour cream, vanilla, and the poppy seed oil.
- Whisk to combine. Then whisk in the flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined and at a batter consistency! Don't overmix!
- Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper. This step is not only for easy cleanup, but this helps us lift the baked bread out later, without potentially damaging it!
- Dump the batter in and bake 45-50 minutes. While that's baking, let's get started on our lemon syrup!
To make the lemon syrup:
- Squeeze some more fresh lemon juice and add it to a small saucepan along with the granulated sugar needed for the lemon syrup.
- On medium heat, bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring often until the sugar has dissolved.
- Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
To apply the lemon syrup soak:
- When the lemon poppy seed loaf has a golden-brown hue to it, and when 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 soak 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.
- Add the juice, zest, powdered sugar, and salt to a mixing bowl and whisk until an icing forms!
To serve:
- When lemon loaf is completely cooled, spread some parchment paper underneath the cooling rack it's sitting on 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 thanks to the salt in the icing!
- Slice triple lemon poppy seed loaf and enjoy! This is the perfect breakfast bread, snack, it even makes a great dessert!
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 263kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 2.8gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1.5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 8.5gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 167mgPotassium: 63mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 92IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 1mg
Please be aware that nutritional values are approximate and intended as a helpful guide
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
