Tutorial Tuesday: Lemon Poppyseed Bread

We are lucky enough to have a Meyer lemon tree in our backyard, so each fall and winter we have a full harvest of lemons at the ready.  The challenge comes in thinking of enough recipes to use them all up before they go bad!  With our first lemon of the season ready to go, I broke out my favorite lemon poppyseed bread recipe today.  

The camera wasn't working during the actual baking process.  I thought it was broken, but it turned out to just be the batteries.  We use rechargeable batteries, and apparently they are only holding charge for a few hours at a time now.  So even though I had just put them in the camera the night before, they were already dead this morning when I put them in the camera.  Boo.  So, unfortunately I only of a picture of the finished product for you...you'll manage, though.  I trust you.

Lemon Poppyseed Bread

based on the recipe from The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Berenbaum

Ingredients

Cake:

3 Tbsp. milk

3 large eggs

1.5 tsp. vanilla (I used 1 tsp. vanilla and 1/2 tsp. lemon extract)

1.5 cups sifted cake flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

13 Tbsp. unsalted butter at room temp.

1 Tbsp. loosely packed grated lemon zest (1 medium lemon)

3 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Syrup:

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (1 medium lemon)

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

Directions

1.  Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix on low speed for 30 seconds, until combined.

2.  In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and vanilla.

3.  Add the butter and 1/2 the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix on low until all ingredients are moistened.  Increase speed to medium and beat for 1 minute to aerate batter.

4.  Scrape down sides and add remaining egg mixture in 2 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition. 

5.  Scrape batter into an 8" x 4" loaf pan (4 cup pan) and smooth surface with a spatula.

6.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7.  Shortly before the cake is done, prepare the syrup.  In  a small pan over medium heat, stir the sugar and lemon juice until dissolved.

8.  As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, poke the cake all over with a wooden skewer or wire tester.  Brush half the syrup over the cake.  Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes, then invert cake onto greased cooling rack.  Poke holes in the bottom and sides of cake and brush cake with remaining syrup.  Reinvert to cool.

9.  Mix together powdered sugar and lemon juice and ice cake once cooled.

Enjoy!  It is sooooo good!