Double Lemon Drizzle Cake with Poppy Seeds

Start off by sifting the flour and baking powder into a roomy mixing bowl, holding the sieve quite high to give the flour a good airing as it goes down.

Then add the butter, sugar, eggs, lemon zest and juice and finally the poppy seeds. Now, using an electric hand whisk, mix to a smooth creamy consistency for about one minute. Spoon the mixture into the tin, levelling it with the back of the spoon, and bake near the centre of the oven for 40 minutes or until the centre feels springy.

When the cake is ready, remove the tin from the oven to a board, then straight away mix together the syrup ingredients. Next stab the cake all over with a skewer and spoon the syrup evenly over the hot cake.  Mix the rounded teaspoon of golden granulated sugar and the poppy sees together and finally sprinkle on the top of the cake. After that the cake needs to cool in its tin before it can be removed and stored in an airtight container.

Note: this is equally good made without the poppy seeds if you prefer.