Lemon, honey and poppyseed loaf

Life actually gave me lemons. A big box of organic, juicy AF lemons. And unlike some people, this is a welcome gift and not something I struggle to think of what to do with. Lemonade (ha), lemon loaf, lemon cake, lemon muffins, lemon curd, pasta, risotto, fish, chicken... there are almost endless options when it comes to using up lemons, both sweet and savoury.

One way I really love to use lemons is in a glaze. I'm not overly fond of super sweet food just on it's own. I like some contrast, some flavour... so lemon is the perfect bright, tart flavour contrast to cut through a sweet (sickly?!) sugary glaze.

This recipe packs in the lemon in three ways. The loaf batter is full of juice and zest, it also has a honey and lemon syrup to drizzle over the hot loaf when it's just out of the oven, and goes all out lemon by being topped off with a tart lemon glaze. If you don't like lemon, this is not an option for you... but if you do, this loaf is light, delicate and loaded with sour sweet lemon flavour!

Try this:

Ingredients - for the loaf

1 cup caster sugar

2 lemons, zest and juice

1/2 cup of milk or yoghurt

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla paste

190gm plain flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp poppy seeds

1/2 cup oil

Ingredients - for the syrup

1 lemon, zest and juice

1/4 cup of honey

Ingredients - for the glaze

200gm icing sugar

1 lemon, zest and juice

Milk (just enough to

Heat oven to 175c. Line a loaf tin with baking paper, and lightly spray with oil. Mix the flour, salt, baking powder and poppyseeds together in a bowl. Add in the lemon zest and rub it into the flour mix with your fingers, to release the lemon oil. Set aside.

In a larger bowl, add the sugar, lemon juice, milk/yoghurt, eggs, vanilla and oil. Beat together until well combined. Add the flour mix to the wet ingredients and gently fold together until there are no more streaks of dry flour left.

Fill the loaf tin, and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out of the middle clean. While you're waiting for the loaf to cook, combine the honey and lemon zest and juice for the syrup in a small pot and gently heat together until the honey is melted, runny and hot (don't let it boil).

As soon as the loaf is out of the oven, use a skewer to poke holes all over the surface of the loaf, and slowly drizzle the hot syrup over the loaf while it's still in the tin. It will all soak into the loaf. Once it's had 10-15 minutes cooling in the tin, turn it out onto a wire rack and leave it to cool to room temperature.

Once the loaf is completely cool, spread the glaze over the top of the loaf, leaving it to artfully drizzle it's way down the sides. Enjoy!