Lemon Drizzle Traybake Poppy (Printer-friendly)
Moist cake with zesty lemon, poppy seeds, and tangy drizzle. Perfectly balanced and easy to prepare.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Cake
01 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
02 - 1 cup caster sugar
03 - 4 large eggs
04 - 2 cups self-raising flour
05 - 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
06 - Zest of 2 lemons
07 - 2 tablespoons milk
08 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
09 - ¼ teaspoon fine salt
→ Lemon Drizzle
10 - Juice of 2 lemons
11 - ¾ cup icing sugar
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, beat together the softened butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy.
03 - Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
04 - Fold in the self-raising flour, poppy seeds, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir in the milk until smooth.
05 - Pour batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top evenly. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
06 - While baking, mix lemon juice with icing sugar until well combined.
07 - Once removed from oven, poke holes throughout the cake with a skewer and pour the lemon drizzle over the hot surface evenly.
08 - Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan before slicing into 12 squares and serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It's foolproof—the creaming method is forgiving, and there's no fancy technique hiding in the instructions.
- The poppy seeds add a whisper of nuttiness that makes people ask what your secret ingredient is.
- A single traybake feeds a crowd, which means less fussing and more time enjoying tea with friends.
- The lemon drizzle soaks into the warm cake, creating pockets of sticky, tart sweetness that regular frosting just can't match.
02 -
- Don't skip the drizzle while the cake is still hot—cold cake won't absorb the glaze, and you'll lose that crucial tang that balances the sweetness.
- Room temperature ingredients really do matter; cold eggs and butter won't blend smoothly, and you'll end up with a dense, heavy cake instead of the tender crumb you're after.
- If your lemon drizzle looks too thick, add a tiny splash more juice; if it's too thin, dust in a bit more icing sugar—consistency is everything.
03 -
- Add a tablespoon of finely chopped preserved lemon to the batter if you want an extra layer of flavor—it's subtle but transforms the whole thing into something more complex and interesting.
- Invest in a microplane grater for zesting; it makes getting fine, pith-free zest effortless, which means more lemon flavor and no bitterness.