My first cake in probably 35 years! Don’t ask what got into me. I just remember scrolling through Twitter one night (when I should have been asleep) and this caught my eye because I had recently, and inexplicably, bought some poppy seeds. I don’t know what I was thinking (re: poppy seed purchase). Perhaps that I would try some kind of savoury biscuit with them? Anyhow, this recipe also appealed because LEMONS. And it also looked like something nice to have for breakfast.

Full disclosure. I don’t really like cake. Or sweet things in general. I mean, I don’t hate them, I just don’t seek them out, let alone make them at home. I think I stopped baking sweet things back in Toronto, where my Christmas shortbread was legendary. If you were lucky enough to be my friend back then, you know exactly what I mean. But even many many years before that, when I would bake this or that, I always cut down the sugar, often as much as by half. And guess what? The finished product was always perfectly sweet, at least for my taste.

Off piste ramble… I also remember back then that diet soft drinks were the same drinks with half the sugar. And they tasted way better to me. Then they came up the cancer-inducing artificial sweeteners that made the drinks taste way too sweet. That was also when I stopped drinking soft drinks (late 1980s?).

Anyhow, in this case I cut the sugar by a third, from 225 grams to 150 grams. I also used greek yoghurt instead of regular plain yoghurt. I suppose sour cream would also work well. And can I tell you? I was so thrilled with the result. My plan was to make it as a “breakfast cake” option and it was perfect. Tasty, lemony, not too sweet, lovely and moist with a bit of a crust. Also POPPY SEEDS. So hell yeah, will be making this a lot now.

Ingredients and instructions below…
Continue reading →