Blueberry Lemon Yoghurt Loaf 🍋
with Poppy Seeds and Lavender Drizzle
This recipe was inspired by Joanna Cismaru's lemon yoghurt loaf but the differences are: I've decreased the sugar, skipped the lemon syrup, added poppy seeds to the loaf batter and ground up lavender to the lemon drizzle. In my opinion, this cake is definitely sweet enough that it does not need more sugar syrup and adding the lavender is just so #provence that it lifts this cake to a whole new level. The poppy seeds are optional, but definitely cute and adds more nutrients to this cake 🍰 Once you make this cake, trust me when I say this will become your go-to loaf recipe especially when you want to impress your friends but want to opt for a simple and fool-proof cake. The flavours are perfect for spring / summer time to end an al-fresco meal. Let us know if you try this out and don't forget to tag us on @SezPK!
Serves: 1 big loaf / 8 generous slices
Difficulty: Level 1
Wow factor: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐
Isn't she just beautiful?!
Ingredients
For the cake batter:
200gr plain flour
2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt
200gr low-fat greek yoghurt
175gr sugar
Zest of 2 lemons
3 large eggs
100gr flavourless oil (such as vegetable oil or sunflower oil)
1tsp vanilla extract
2tbsp poppy seeds (optional)
150gr fresh or frozen blueberries (you can use raspberries as well or blackberries)
For the lavender drizzle:
100gr icing sugar
juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon
1/2tsp dried baking lavender - more if you want the floral vibes to be stronger
For decoration:
A few lemon slices
More lavender or poppy seeds
Instructions
Pre-heat your fan oven to 180 degrees celsius and line your loaf tin with either baking paper or grease it and coat the inside with flour.
Now moving on to the batter, it's super easy stuff! Add all the dry ingredients (plain flour, baking powder and salt) to a large mixing bowl and whisk. Set aside.
Time for your wet ingredients! Just add all the wet ingredients (yoghurt, sugar, lemon zest, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract) into another big mixing bowl and mix well with your whisk.
Mix your wet with your dry ingredients by pouring the wet batter into the mixing bowl where your dry ingredients are chilling. You don't need to go overboard with the mixing - just as long as you no longer see any lumps, you're good to go!
If using poppy seeds, add them in now and don't forget to fold in your blueberries using a spatula. If you are using frozen blueberries, then toss them in 1tbsp plain flour before adding to the cake batter not forgetting to get rid of excess flour.
Pour batter into prepared loaf tin and pop it in the oven for 50 minutes. You might need an extra 5 to 10 minutes if your oven is not hot enough but don't forget to check it at the 50 min mark to ensure the cake doesn't go too brown on top. Take a skewer and poke a hole in the middle. If it's all clear and there is no more liquid, your loaf is ready to come out.
When it is ready, let it cool for 15 minutes in its tin. Take it out after 15 minutes and let it completely cool on a cooling rack.
To make your lavender drizzle, all you need to do is first use a pestle & mortar to crush the dried baking lavender. Now tip your icing sugar into a medium-sized mixing bowl and add your lemon juice. If this is not runny enough, add more lemon juice. You don't need too much lemon juice as you want it to be fairly thick to get that wonderful sugary crust on top.
Add crushed lavender to the drizzle mixture and mix well ensuring there are no lumps. I use my whisk to vigorously beat this or you can sieve it before adding lemon juice. Whatever you prefer!
When your loaf is completely cool, drizzle the delicious lemony, flowery drizzle on top and decorate to your heart's desire. I added lemon slices in a straight line and sprinkled more dried baking lavender on top, but you can also use poppy seeds if desired.
Serve immediately! 😍
Storage tips: this cake lasts very well in the fridge but because it has fruit in it and yoghurt, you want to make sure you store it in an airtight Tupperware when you don't want to eat it to ensure the quality of the cake doesn't decrease. It will last up to 4-5 days in the fridge just take it out a few mins before serving so you can eat it at room temp. Enjoy!
