I think I could write a whole book just on lemon cakes! As good as this cake is, the tangy, crunchy icing you get on top finishes it off perfectly. This bake sits well for a few days—leave it in the fridge before bringing it to room temperature and adding the icing.

　　This recipe was excerpted from 'Bake It Better' by Matt Adlard. Buy the full book on Amazon.

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What you’ll need

　　Chevron

　　Chevron

　　Lemon Extract

　　$10 At Amazon

　　Blanched Almond Flour

　　$16 $15 At Amazon

　　Poppy Seeds

　　$7 At Spicewalla

　　9 x 13 Pan

　　$14 At Amazon

　　

Ingredients

Makes 1 cake

　　

For the cake

Unsalted butter, for greasing

　　275 g eggs (about 6 large eggs)

　　275 g powdered sugar

　　6 g lemon zest

　　1 tsp. pure lemon extract

　　100 g vegetable oil

　　215 g heavy cream

　　60 g ground almonds

　　10 g poppy seeds

　　305 g all-purpose flour

　　7 g baking powder

　　Pinch of salt

　　

For the sugar syrup

100 g granulated sugar

　　50 g fresh lemon juice

　　50 g water

　　

For the icing

250 g powdered sugar, sifted

　　5 g poppy seeds

　　Fresh lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 320°F. Lightly grease a 9 × 13-inch pan with butter and line the base and sides with parchment paper, creating a slight overhang so you can lift the cake out once baked. 

　　

Step 2

To make the cake, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon extract. Whisk on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the mixture is pale and thicker in consistency, scraping down the sides as needed.

　　

Step 3

Lower the speed to low. Add the oil, then add the cream.

　　

Step 4

Add the ground almonds and poppy seeds. Mix until combined.

　　

Step 5

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Sift this mixture into the bowl of the stand mixer. Use a spatula to gently fold this into the batter. Keep mixing until the flour has absorbed, but be careful not to overbeat it. There might be a few small lumps, but don’t worry about that. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

　　

Step 6

Place the pan in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until it has a golden color and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

　　

Step 7

To make the sugar syrup, in a small saucepan on the stovetop over low heat, combine the sugar, lemon juice, and water. Bring to a boil, then remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool as the cake bakes.

　　

Step 8

Remove the pan from the oven and immediately pour the sugar syrup all over the cake. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes. Carefully lift the cake out, remove the parchment paper, and wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

　　

Step 9

Remove the cake from the fridge and allow it to reach room temperature.

　　

Step 10

To make the icing, in a medium bowl, combine the sugar and poppy seeds. Add the juice from ½ a lemon and whisk this into the icing. Keep whisking in lemon juice until the mixture resembles the consistency of runny honey.

　　

Step 11

Use an offset spatula to spread the icing on the cake. Allow the cake to rest at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the icing to form a slight “crust” before serving.

　　Excerpted from Bake It Better reprinted by permission of DK, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2023 by Matt Adlard Ltd. Buy the full book from Amazon or Penguin Random House.