What you’ll need

1 lined loaf tin 27cm x 9cm

Ingredients

• 8oz soft butter
• 8oz caster sugar
• 8oz self raising flour
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 2 lemons zest only
• Pinch salt

Sugar syrup

• 50ml water
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 lemon

Icing

• 200g icing sugar
• Lemon juice

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C / 160C fan.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Add the zest of two lemons.
4. Beat in the eggs one at a time making sure each one is throughly combined before adding the next.
5. Sift in the flour and fold in gently using a large metal spoon.
6. Fold in the poppy seeds and spoon the mixture into the cake tin.
7. Bake for about 45 – 60 minutes or until springy on top and a skewer comes out clean.
8. Meanwhile make the syrup by dissolving the sugar and water together and then add lemon juice to taste. It should taste quite lemony.
9. Pour over about 2 tablespoons of the the lemon syrup and leave to cool.
10. To make the icing mix the icing sugar with lemon juice until you have a nice icing consistency.
11. Spread generously over the top and leave to set.

Notes

The poppyseeds and lemon syrup keep the cake moist while the tangy lemon icing adds sharpness.