And here is a cake to celebrate the onset of summers..light and fresh. Full of heady citrus flavour, this Gondhoraj Poppyseed Cake is truly a delightful one.
Gondhoraj is a cross between a mandarin orange and lime. It's commonly found in the eastern part of India. Thick-skinned, dark green in colour, this oblong lime/lemon has been very recently introduced to me. Yes, it seems like I've been living under a rock! The juice is sharply sour and scant, but extremely flavourful. Its zest will fill up your kitchen with the most exquisitely sublime fragrance. Gondhoraj is really the "King of Aroma". ...a delight to the olfactory senses!
Back to the cake. Yes, you can use regular lemons too. Lemon poppyseed is the classic combination in baking. But, if you can get your hands on Gondhoraj, I strongly urge that you use them instead. The recipe itself is unpretentious, but the cake speaks volumes. Its got that perfectly moist crumb, speckled with delicate nutty poppyseeds, a golden crust...beautiful enough to be served as is. Add a bit of that zingy Gondhoraj glaze, top with some of that gorgeous zest and you've got yourself a cake that's absolutely irresistible!
NOTES:
- If you live in Delhi/ NCR, Gondhoraj is available in Chitranjan Park market. I believe INA also carries it.
- To the best of my knowledge, black poppyseeds are not available in local supermarkets or online. I usually get them from the US ( beg a friend or relative to carry them for you!) and use them sparingly! It's best to store them in the refrigerator so they don't go rancid.
- You can easily make this recipe without them or use black sesame instead. The flavour will be very different, but you will get the specks of black and the crunch. 🙂
I hope this Gondhoraj Poppyseed Cake is delightful for you as it is for us! I’d love to hear from you! Please tag me on Instagram @
Gondhoraj Poppyseed Cake
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups All purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp Poppyseeds
- 3 tbsp Zest of Gondhoraj lemon You can use regular lemon too
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp Gondhoraj lemon juice
- 1/2 cup Almond milk, plain You can use any milk of your choice
Glaze
- 1/3 cup icing sugar
- 1 tbsp Gondhoraj lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C. Grease a loaf pan - 8"X4".
- In a small bowl combine the almond milk and Gondhoraj lemon juice. Keep aside.
- In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, poppyseeds, salt and zest.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together till thick and pale. Whisk in the oil, eggs and vanilla extract.
- Now add the flour mixture into the egg mixture, alternating with the milk, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes before turning it out on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve as is or pour over the glaze. Allow to set, about 20-30 minutes, before serving. Enjoy!
Glaze
- Combine the icing sugar and lemon juice till smooth and lumpfree. The glaze should have a thick, pourable consistency.
Rituparna Mukherjee says
This looks amazing! so the poppy seeds are the same that we would use for alu posto, correct? 😀
Natasha Minocha says
Thanks so much Rituparna! These are black poppyseeds. For alu posto, white ones are used. 🙂