Lemon-Poppy Teacake
Lemon can be a baker’s best friend or her worst enemy. Often it tastes less like fresh-squeezed lemonade and more like a 15-cent lollipop. Achieving the perfect balance of lemon flavor in this teacake was a long and arduous journey; fresh lemon juice toys with the acidity in the batter, causing it to rise and fall unpredictably, while the rind on its own has a mousy presence at best. I tried everything from the yellow squeeze bottles of sugar-pumped citric acid to preserved lemons to lemon oil—everything short of boiled-down Lemonheads. Eventually I found that if you grate lemon rind into the batter with a generous helping of a high-quality lemon extract (I prefer Frontier’s product), you end up with a uniform, easy-to-manage batter that maximizes the lemon flavor while downplaying its domineering nature. Add the subtle nuttiness and earthy texture of poppy seeds, and you’ve stumbled onto a marriage unequaled since Luke and Laura’s.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 10 slices
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a 7 × 4 × 3-inch loaf pan with oil.
Step 2
Pour the rice milk, vinegar, and poppy seeds into a small bowl, but do not stir; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. Add the oil, agave nectar, applesauce, vanilla, lemon extract, and lemon zest to the dry ingredients and stir until the batter is smooth. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the poppy seed mixture into the batter, and combine just until all the ingredients are blended. The batter will expand slightly.
Step 3
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake the teacake on the center rack for 35 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees after 18 minutes. The finished teacake will be golden brown and springy, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.
Step 4
Let the teacake stand in the pan for 20 minutes, then gently run a knife around the edge of the cake. Cover the top of the pan with a cutting board, and invert the loaf onto the board. Carefully lift the pan away and re-invert the teacake onto another cutting board. Either cut and serve warm, or wait until it is completely cool before storing. Cover the uncut teacake with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
