Lemon and poppy seed loaf cake with cream cheese frosting

Name: Lemon and poppy seed loaf cake with cream cheese frosting
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: Serves 8
Cuisine: British recipes
Ingredients: 175g butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing; 175g caster sugar; Finely grated zest of 2 large lemons; 3 medium eggs; 250g self-raising flour; 50g poppy seeds; 4 heaped tbsp natural yogurt; For the crystallised rose petals; 1 pale yellow rose; Caster sugar, for dusting; 1 egg white; For the cream cheese frosting; 100g soft cream cheese, such as Philadelphia; 1 tbsp caster sugar; 2 tsp lemon juice; 1 tbsp natural yogurt

Easy
April 2008

Easy
April 2008

Serves 8
Takes 10 min to make, 1 hour 10 min to bake, plus cooling and decorating

This light and refreshing lemon loaf cake recipe is just the sort of thing to have on standby, in the freezer, for a rainy weekend.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 461kcals
Fat: 30.2g (17g saturated)
Protein: 8.3g
Carbohydrates: 50g (25.5g sugar)
Salt: 0.9g

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 461kcals
Fat: 30.2g (17g saturated)
Protein: 8.3g
Carbohydrates: 50g (25.5g sugar)
Salt: 0.9g

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Ingredients

175g butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
175g caster sugar
Finely grated zest of 2 large lemons
3 medium eggs
250g self-raising flour
50g poppy seeds
4 heaped tbsp natural yogurt

For the crystallised rose petals

1 pale yellow rose
Caster sugar, for dusting
1 egg white

For the cream cheese frosting

100g soft cream cheese, such as Philadelphia
1 tbsp caster sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp natural yogurt

175g butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
175g caster sugar
Finely grated zest of 2 large lemons
3 medium eggs
250g self-raising flour
50g poppy seeds
4 heaped tbsp natural yogurt

For the crystallised rose petals

1 pale yellow rose
Caster sugar, for dusting
1 egg white

For the cream cheese frosting

100g soft cream cheese, such as Philadelphia
1 tbsp caster sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp natural yogurt

Method

Carefully pull the petals off the rose. Fill a bowl with sugar. Brush each petal with egg white, then bury under the sugar. Lift out, shake off the excess sugar and leave on a tray to dry for a few hours or until brittle (see video in tips).
Preheat the oven to 150°c/fan130°c/gas 2. Grease and line a 19cm x 12cm x 9cm deep loaf tin with baking paper. Put the butter into a bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until it is almost white. Beat in the zest and eggs, 1 at a time, and a spoonful of flour with the second and last egg to prevent curdling. Sift over the rest of the flour and fold it in with the poppy seeds and the yogurt.
Spoon into the tin and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool on a wire rack.
Beat the frosting ingredients in a bowl with a wooden spoon until fluffy. Spread thickly over the cake and scatter with the crystallised petals.

Method

Carefully pull the petals off the rose. Fill a bowl with sugar. Brush each petal with egg white, then bury under the sugar. Lift out, shake off the excess sugar and leave on a tray to dry for a few hours or until brittle (see video in tips).
Preheat the oven to 150°c/fan130°c/gas 2. Grease and line a 19cm x 12cm x 9cm deep loaf tin with baking paper. Put the butter into a bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until it is almost white. Beat in the zest and eggs, 1 at a time, and a spoonful of flour with the second and last egg to prevent curdling. Sift over the rest of the flour and fold it in with the poppy seeds and the yogurt.
Spoon into the tin and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool on a wire rack.
Beat the frosting ingredients in a bowl with a wooden spoon until fluffy. Spread thickly over the cake and scatter with the crystallised petals.

delicious. tips

Freeze the cake, wrapped in cling film, at the end of step 3 for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly, then continue with frosting.

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2.9 votes

Reviews

Read what others say...

Pol Watson says:
25th Mar 2016 at 1:33 pm
Didn’t do the Rose petals but this cake is a sure fire hit! Yummy
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May Lawrence says:
24th Feb 2016 at 1:55 pm
I don’t think the temperature at 150 degrees C is correct. Shouldn’t it be 180 degrees C?
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1. Rebecca Brett says:
  24th Feb 2016 at 2:29 pm
  Dear May, there is a high quantity of flour (compared to the sugar and butter) and you cook it for a long time so 150C is correct. If cooked at 180C it will dry out. Hope that helps
Birgit Jeretzky says:
4th Jun 2015 at 4:59 pm
I love this recipe because I love the lemon and poppy seed combination and the yoghurt makes the cake so moist and creamy. It is a hit with everybody.
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Clare Marriage says:
4th Jun 2015 at 2:59 pm
I love this recipe because the poppy seeds complement the lemon so well making it a great alternative to the traditional lemon drizzle and it is so light!
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