Lemon and Poppy Seed Valentine's Shortbread

I love shortbread. I don't really care for Valentine's day.

This year, I'm defaulting to my normal level of effort - making something that I already know and love, but cutting it into the shape of a heart. And as shortbread is the the first thing I go for when I fancy making a sweet treat, heart shaped shortbread is my perfect treat for Feb 14th!

I love that it's super easy and versatile - my favourites are topping plain shortbread with cinnamon sugar, and chocolate chip shortbread. Also, having fun with biscuit cutters always pleases me.

I 💓 penguins - therefore they are Valentine themed (to me)!

I decided to combine some more of my favourite flavours  with my favourite biscuit - lemon and poppy seed! And the natural sugary buttery-ness of the shortbread goes perfectly with the zesty lemon.

It's basically the same recipe as my tried and tested shortbread with a few flavour swaps. Enjoy!

Makes about 20 medium sized biscuits

Ingredients for the biscuits

• 185g butter
• 85g caster sugar
• 200g plain flour
• 50g cornflour
• 2 tbsp poppy seeds
• Pinch salt
• Zest of one lemon

To finish

• A few tbsp granulated sugar

Baked Lemon And Poppy Seed Donuts

Alright, I'm totally in donut mode now.

There is something about baked donuts that sparks joy in people. Myself included. They always come up perfectly round and beautifully baked and it’s just pure deliciousness in the comforting shape of a donut. 

You do need a special tin (these are so essential to my life that I have two..) but I promise it is worth it! I don't love deep-frying food, and this is a perfect compromise to still allow donuts in your life if you're like me.

Basically the sky is the limit with these. I have done a few variations in the past (chocolate, strawberry, cinnamon), and it made sense to give it a go in lemon form!

The lovely glaze is easy to whip up, tart and sweet and makes a perfect addition to the spongy cakey goodness of the donut.

Makes approx. 16 donuts

Lemon Curd Sponge

I made lemon curd the other day. It had to be done, and it was delicious. I ended up with quite a lot of curd, and despite lovingly and liberally slathering it on pancakes most of last week, I still have a lot left.

Delicious, delicious lemon curd.

So, the obvious solution was to incorporate it into cake.

I decided to make a lemon Victoria Sponge. Instead of jam, I used the curd, and instead of cream, I used lemon buttercream. This was a stonking success. It's the perfect springtime cake, sweet and zesty, and the homemade curd makes a really standout filling.

Lemon and Poppyseed Cake Squares

SHALL WE HAVE ANOTHER SQUARE CAKE?

I am definitely, completely still in love with the lemon and poppyseed loaf which I was obsessed with a few posts ago.

I decided to remake the flavours in a slightly different style. These squares are moist yet light and jam packed with flavour. I added the poppyseeds because I had them, but they are optional if you don’t have any!

There is something that I am just really digging at the moment - the "tray bake" cake. Simple, sort of like a cross between a cake and a brownie - all the springiness and lightness of a cake coupled with the easy noshing of a brownie.

This really is my kind of cake. It would look perfect on top of an “afternoon tea” tray as it slices beautifully into perfect little bite-sized cubes.

Lemon and Poppyseed Loaf

Happy Easter! If you're full of chocolate eggs and hankering for something else sweet but not egg shaped, then look no further! I love this recipe.

My mum is a really great cook, and her culinary accomplishments are made even better by their rarity. She doesn’t whip up a storm in the kitchen often, but when she does it is EPIC and I love it. Her shortbread is better than anything I’ve ever done, and I am openly jealous of this.

And this little knockout is a firm family favourite. Now, full disclosure, I am not using her exact recipe for the loaf, because I don’t know what it is (seeecret!), but I’m using her techniques and topping. This makes a very light yet moist cake that isn’t the most robust, so you need a decently thick slice.

Lemon and poppyseed makes the prettiest batter, and a damn tasty cake

This is so nice that I made it one evening and was planning to save a little aside for photographing the next day in daylight, but I took some to work and ATE THE REST BEFORE SUNRISE. It’s that good. So I had to make a second for daytime photographs. It's a tough life.