Carrie Fehr

Afternoon tea always feels like a small celebration to me. The table combines the splendor of fine china with the cozy sweetness of delicate treats, displayed like little presents, creating a festive, organic, and intimate backdrop for meaningful conversations. The simple joy of a pot of tea becomes 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 bright citrus flavor and moist from a tangy lemony glaze, but it’s the toasted poppy seeds that really push this cake into heavenly teatime territory. Do you have a favorite tea cake you love 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.