Lemon, Blueberry & Poppy Seed Cake

Serves: 12 Prep: 15mins Cook: 60mins

Ingredients

225g Butter, plus extra for greasing
175g Caster Sugar
Pinch of Salt
2 Eggs
200g Soured Cream
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 tbsp Lemon Juice from a jar of Opies Sliced Lemons
1 tbsp Poppy Seeds
200g Self-raising Flour
125g Blueberries

For the icing
80g Icing Sugar, sifted
2 tbsp Lemon Juice from a jar of Opies Sliced Lemons

To decorate – optional
50g Blueberries
1 tsp Poppy Seeds
Opies Sliced Lemons, cut into small pieces
Edible flowers

 

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / gas mark 4. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin.
In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the salt, eggs, soured cream, vanilla extract, lemon juice and poppy seeds. Gently fold in the flour until just combined.
Fold in 3/4 of the blueberries then pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and top with the reserved blueberries. Bake in the oven for about 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then carefully tip out and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
Mix the icing sugar and lemon juice together in a clean bowl until smooth, then drizzle over the cooled cake so that it drips over the sides.
Scatter over remaining poppy seeds, fresh blueberries, Opies Lemon Slices and edible flowers, if using (we used pansies and cornflowers).

Thanks to opiesfoods.com

 

Pea and Vanilla Cake with Lemon Frosted Icing

Serves: 12 Prep: 15mins Cook: 20-22mins

Ingredients

Melted butter, for greasing
225g frozen peas, defrosted
375g self-raising flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
rind and juice of 2 lemons
3 large free-range eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
225g runny honey
200ml vegetable oil

For the icing:

100g unsalted butter, softened
400g light cream cheese
1 tbsp runny honey
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
rind of 1 lemon, plus the juice of ½ lemon

 

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C/160°C fan. Line two 18cm cake tins with baking parchment and grease the sides of the tins with a little melted butter.
Blitz the peas to a purée in a food processor, adding some of the oil to loosen the mixture.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder, add the pea purée, lemon rind and juice, eggs, vanilla paste, honey and vegetable oil and beat well with a hand mixer. Divide the cake mixture equally between the 2 cake tins and cook in the preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes until cooked (you can check to see if the cake is cooked by piercing the cake with a skewer, if it comes out clean then the cake is cooked). Remove the tins from of the oven, allow to cool slightly in the tins and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the icing, beat the butter in a bowl and beat in the cream cheese, honey, vanilla paste and lemon rind and juice. Spread half the mixture on top of one of the cake rounds and top with the other cake round. Spread the remaining mixture all over the cake, smoothing it around the sides and over the top. Decorate with some mint leaves and edible flowers.

Thanks to peas.org

NorthernLife May/June 2023