Carrie Fehr

Kitchen Garden Food

Tag: AfternoonTea

April 25, 2026

An Afternoon Tea with Lemon Poppyseed Cake

Afternoon tea feels like a small celebration. The table is set to combine the splendor of fine china with the cozy sweetness of delicate treats displayed like little presents that feel festive, organic, and intimate, serving as a lovely backdrop for meaningful conversations. The simple joy of a pot of tea is transformative when you stop to pause. I love to serve this zesty Lemon Poppyseed Cake as the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea. It’s bursting with citrus flavor and moist from a tangy lemony glaze, but it’s the toasted poppy seeds that really push this into heavenly teatime territory. Do you have a favorite teacake that you like to serve at your afternoon tea?

Lemon Poppyseed Tea Cake

Serves 1 loaf

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon lemon zest  

1 cup sugar

4 large eggs

3/4 cup canola oil

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 ⅓  teaspoons baking powder

⅓  teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons toasted poppy seeds

⅓ cup milk

Lemon Glaze

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 325˚F.

Using your fingers, rub sugar with lemon zest until combined in a small bowl.

Add lemon sugar, eggs and canola oil in bowl of electric mixer. Mix together using a paddle attachment on medium speed for about 2 minutes.

Stir in flour, baking powder, kosher salt and poppy seeds and mix until well combined.

Add milk to the batter and mix together.

Pour batter into prepared 9-by-5-inch loaf  pan. Bake until top of lemon poppyseed teacake is golden brown, about 50-55 minutes.

Let lemon poppyseed teacake cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Drizzle the lemon glaze over the warm tea cake. Invert onto a cooling rack and then let cool completely.

Lemon Glaze:

In a saucepan bring the sugar and lemon juice to a simmer until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and drizzle the lemon glaze over the warm tea cake.

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February 20, 2024

Meyer Lemon Torte

This simple torte has the bright floral notes of Meyer lemon zest, enriched with almond flour that gives it a dense richness.  Meyer lemons are a hybrid of lemon and mandarin and are less acidic than regular lemons. Living in Berkeley, California, we are blessed to find Meyer lemons in abundance during the citrus season at local produce markets and on trees that grow in almost every neighborhood. Perfect for any occasion, this lemony dessert is delicious when enjoyed with an afternoon cup of tea. Recipe adapted from Sheela Prakash at TheKitchen.com.

Meyer Lemon Torte

Ingredients:

Butter for greasing the pan

4 large eggs

2 tablespoons Meyer lemon zest, or any other type of lemon available

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Fresh berries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Coat the paper and sides of the pan with butter; set aside.

Crack and separate 4 large eggs, placing the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and the yolks in a separate large bowl.

Combine lemon zest and sugar in a separate small bowl. Rub the zest into the sugar using your hands to release the flavor and aroma. Add zested sugar to the egg yolks and stir using a large spoon until well-combined.

Add almond flour, baking powder, and kosher salt into the egg yolk mixture. Stir until the almond flour is combined .

Beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the batter to lighten it. Gently fold the remaining egg whites with a spatula into the batter until just combined. Do not over mix. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.

Bake until the edges of the cake have begun to pull away from the sides of the pan, the top is golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes.

To serve, run a knife around the cake to loosen it. Flip the cake onto a plate, peel away the parchment. Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries.

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