Lemon Poppyseed Cake
When life (well a lovely friend actually) gives you lemons, what do you make?
lemons from Catherine’s tree….thanks 🙂
Cake apparently!
Lemon Poppyseed Cake to be precise…
oh yum, let me eat cake!
Lemon Poppyseed would have to be one of my all-time favourite cakes. So I set about making it healthier, which was quite an endeavour as it turned out. You see there is no point in eating a ‘healthier’ cake if it is not sweet enough (as this affects the overall taste as well as texture), too dry (no amount of syrup can fix a tough, dry cake) or too heavy (a heavy dense cake is not a cake, it’s a door-stop).
this was my second try, but I nailed it this time!!
My first attempt unfortunately was a little bit of all three, so it was back to the ‘drawing’ board…
You see, a healthy cake still has to taste goooood. And I am pleased to say that this version definitely delivers. Moist, tangy, sweet enough and very, very moreish.
mmmmm…..moist and moreish…
And the secret ingredient to help this all happen – psyllium husks! Who would have thought. I was able to reduce the wholemeal flour from 1/2 to 1/4 cup but keep the fibre high by adding just 2 teaspoons of psyllium husks. Plus they had the added advantage of making the cake softer. Brilliant!
psyllium husks (yes, they do look like sawdust!)
Definitely one to try any time as it is so quick and easy….AND DELICIOUS!
I’m about to tuck in!!
- ¾ cup white plain flour
- ¼ cup wholemeal plain flour
- 2 teaspoons psyllium husks
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon poppyseeds
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil or macadamia oil
- ¼ cup Greek yoghurt
- ¼ cup milk of your choice (I used Vitasoy coconut milk)
- ¼ cup honey
- Optional syrup
- Juice of 1 lemon (approx ¼ cup)
- 1 heaped tablespoon of honey
- Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Grease and line a loaf tin with non-stick baking paper
- Sift white flour, wholemeal flour, psyllium husks and baking powder together into a large bowl
- Add sugar, poppy seeds and lemon zest and mix to combine
- In another medium-sized bowl, whisk the egg
- Add the oil, yoghurt, milk and honey and mix until well combined
- Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and fold through until JUST combined - do not overmix
- Pour cake mixture into prepared tin. Smooth top
- Bake in oven for 25 minutes or until a skewer poked into the middle of the cake comes out clean
- Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the tin
- If making the syrup - Warm lemon juice and honey in a small saucepan on the stove, until the honey becomes very runny and the two mix together
- Either pour evenly over the entire cake when it is cold, or drizzle each slice with a little syrup
- Enjoy!
Why eat sawdust, oops, I mean psyllium husks?
Psyllium husks are high in soluble fibre, the type of fibre that can help to lower your cholesterol. Research suggests to use a dose of 5 teaspoons of psyllium husks spread out across the day to get the cholesterol lowering benefit. That is a lot, so I suggest starting with 3 teaspoons and see how you go. Plus include them in your intake in other ways, such as by making this cake!!
hee heeeee, thanks Kevin!
From Honest To Goodness (which is where I buy my organic psyllium) instagram post….
Psyllium is a popular whole food ingredient that is used for general gut health.
Made from the husks of the Pantago Ovata plant seeds, psyllium is a form of soluble dietary fibre that:
• provides positive effects on the digestive system, as well as the heart and pancreas
• helps reduce appetite
• cleanses the system
Psyllium is commonly used as a binder in gluten-free baking as it prevents crumbling and dryness, however it can also be sprinkled on top of porridge, cereal or added to smoothies to increase fibre intake.
Thanks for posting this fab recipe – worked perfectly. Beautifully moist, a perfect balance of flavours, not too sweet, quick to make and passed the “all family” taste test. What’s not to love!
Oh thanks so much for the fabulous feedback Maria. It makes me so happy to hear that your whole family enjoyed it too. Yeah 🙂
What is wholemeal plain flour?
Hi Lynn – Thanks for your question. Wholemeal plain flour is just wholemeal wheat flour, whole-wheat flour or whole-wheat pastry or cake flour. Cake and pastry flour would be preferable over all-purpose flour as they have less gluten which is preferable for cakes and helps to make them softer. All-purpose flour is best for bread making. I hope that helps. Caroline 🙂
From wikipedia
The word “whole” refers to the fact that all of the grain (bran, germ, and endosperm) is used and nothing is lost in the process of making the flour. This is in contrast to white, refined flours, which contain only the endosperm. Because the whole flour contains the remains of all of the grain, it has a textured, brownish appearance.
My sister and I met you at the David Katz evening, which was very informative.
Thank you for your blog. It is terrific.
Hi Patricia – That was a great night wasn’t it! Thanks so much for looking up my blog. I do hope you try some of my recipes and let me know what you think! Caroline 🙂
looking yummy
thanks Alice 🙂