Lemon poppy seed loaf

This in an old family favourtite. I remember my mother making this for us on sunny Sunday afternoons, using the lemons grown from my grandfather's lemon tree. And my older sister making it for us as we eagerly waited, listening to the rain against the windows, crowded around her in the warm kitchen. Now the kitchen smells fresh and lovely, sticky and sweet, cozy and content, as R lovingly makes it for us to devour... Lemon poppy seed loaf. And we never need a reason to make this delicious treat :)

What you need:

• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup of white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups of sifted white flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/2 cup of milk
• The rind of 2 lemons
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup of poppy seeds

Lemon pour:

• At least 1/2 cup of lemon juice (or 2-4 fresh lemons squeezed)
• And 1/2 - 1 cup of white sugar
• Mix together and allow to dissolve (you can add the sugar slowly as you stir, but it is perfectly alright if the sugar doesn't fully dissolve - ours doesn't!)

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 160-180 C (or 325-350 F). 
2. In a large bowl mix the melted butter and sugar together.
3. Beat the eggs into the butter/sugar mixture.
4. Add the sifter flour, baking powder and salt slowly, adding the milk in between and the essence in finally.
5. Add the grated lemon rind and poppy seeds, and beat the mixture just enough to blend.
6. Pour the batter into a grease dish (loaf tin, glass dish, cake ring, muffin tray) and bake for 45-55 minutes. 
7. Cool for 10 minutes.
8. Pour the lemon/sugar syrup over the baked loaf (we usually poke little holes everywhere with a toothpick to help the syrup to soak in) and allow it to soak into the cake (anything from 10-30 minutes).
9. Ideally you should store, foil wrapped, for 1 day before slicing and serving - to enjoy the full flavours, but if you are anything like me, we still eat it while it is warm (although I will admit that having a slice in the morning with a cup of tea is pure magic too!)
10. Last quick tip: we love to mix a little lemon juice with some icing sugar and drizzle it across the loaf - yummy!

Happy baking :)