Lemon Drizzle Traybake Poppy (Printable Version)
Moist and zesty traybake with fresh lemon flavor and crunchy poppy seeds in every bite.
# What You 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 tbsp poppy seeds
06 - Zest of 2 lemons
07 - 2 tbsp milk
08 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
09 - ¼ tsp fine salt
→ Lemon Drizzle
10 - Juice of 2 lemons
11 - ¾ cup icing sugar
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking tin with parchment paper.
02 - Using a large bowl, cream the softened butter and caster sugar together until pale and fluffy.
03 - Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
04 - Fold in self-raising flour, poppy seeds, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir in milk until batter is smooth.
05 - Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface evenly.
06 - Bake for 28 to 32 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
07 - While baking, combine lemon juice and icing sugar to form the drizzle.
08 - Immediately after removing the baked cake, poke holes throughout with a skewer and drizzle the lemon mixture evenly over the surface.
09 - Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin before cutting into 12 squares for serving.
# Helpful Tips:
01 -
- It's genuinely foolproof and feeds a crowd without requiring you to be a baker.
- The lemon flavor builds as it sits, so it tastes even better the next day.
- One traybake tin means minimal cleanup, which is honestly half the battle.
02 -
- The drizzle must go on while the cake is still hot, or it won't sink in and instead will sit on top like an icing—it's a texture thing, and hot cake is the only way to get it right.
- Don't skip the parchment paper in the tin; it's the difference between a beautiful cake and a crumbled mess.
03 -
- Use a microplane zester for the lemon; the oils are where all the flavor lives, and a microplane captures them better than anything else.
- If your lemons are thick-skinned or old, roll them on the counter under your palm before zesting and juicing—it wakes them up and gets more juice out of them.