Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf

I think sweet breads like this lemon loaf or a banana bread is a great snack, don’t you? They’re easy to throw together, you don’t have to mess with a bunch of waiting around like you do for cookies. One pan in the oven...done. Around here this kind of thing doesn’t last too long. Lunches, snacks, okay...even breakfast. This lemon loaf is really good. Refreshing and light and it doesn’t feel like you’ve eaten something super heavy. It’s yummy!

Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf

1 2/3 cups flour

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons lemon zest

1/2 cup butter ~ room temperature

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 8x4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, lemon zest and butter and mix until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time then add vanilla and lemon juice.

In a large measuring cup, stir to combine the milk and sour cream.

Beginning and ending with flour mixture, alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients to the lemon sugar mixture until just combined.

Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 45 - 50 minutes until done or toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool in pan 5 minutes then brush top with lemon glaze. (Recipe follows)

Remove from pan. Slice and enjoy.

For the glaze:

1/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Combine ingredients in a microwave safe measuring cup and heat until sugar has dissolved and mixture is hot.

Let's get to cookin'!

Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.

Next combine the sugar and lemon zest. Run that around with a whisk a little bit.

Add the butter and combine until light and fluffy. Then add the eggs, one at a time, then the lemon juice and vanilla.

Combine the milk and sour cream.

Starting and ending with the flour, 

add the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the mixing bowl a little 

at a time until everything is mixed.

Add batter to prepared pan and bake.

All baked and so pretty!

Next combine the 1/4 cup sugar 

and 3 tablespoons of the lemon 

juice in a microwave safe bowl 

and heat until sugar is dissolved...

about a minute.

Pour the glaze over the warm bread. 

You can poke a few holes in the loaf 

to help get the glaze evenly distributed.

Allow to cool then slice and eat!

Lemon Loaf with Lemon Glaze

My mom gave me some lemons the other day. I'm not sure what's up with people giving me citrus lately...but I'm happy to have it! Anyway...as I was staring these lemons down, I decided a lemon pound cake type dessert was in order. IT Guy is a big fan of lemony things so I knew this would please him. And I was right. Again.                 

Lemon Loaf with Lemon Glaze




1 cup butter ~ softened
½ cup shortening – I used butter-flavored
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
3 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour one 12-cup bundt pan or TWO loaf pans.

Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add 3 cups of sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition.

Stir together the flour and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until just blended after each addition. Beat in lemon juice and zest just until blended. Pour batter into greased and floured pan(s).

For large bundt cake, bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a long wooden pick comes out clean. For 2 loaf pans, bake for 45 - 60 minutes until wooden pick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan(s) on a wire rack for 10 – 15 minutes. Remove from pan(s). Cool completely on wire rack. Transfer to a plate and drizzle with glaze.

10 – 12 servings

Lemon Glaze


1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoon lemon juice
Milk

Combine the powdered sugar and the lemon juice in a small mixing bowl. Add enough milk to make a think glaze. Pour glaze over cooled cake(s).

Here's the goods.

Cream the butter and shortening together.

Then add the sugar.

Then the eggs....one at a time.

Then the flour/salt mixture with the milk.

Finally the lemon juice and zest.

Grease your pans REALLY well. 

I like to add some parchment paper in the bottom.

Pour the batter into the pans.

Then bake!

Let them cool and then remove 

the cakes from the pans. See? 

Here's why you need to grease 

your pans REALLY well. Don't be 

like me and use cooking spray. 

Take the time and use shortening and flour!!!

The glaze! Mix the lemon juice with the powdered sugar and enough milk to make a thick glaze.

Then pour the glaze over the cakes. 

I glazed the bottom on mine because 

the top looked a little funky. But either works!

Slice it up and enjoy. I left one out 

for us to snack on and threw the 

other one in the freezer for later.