I haven’t baked for a long time because there hasn’t been a need to. My mother hasn’t been around. 

She is visiting from today so this weekend I’ve been trying to make healthy alternatives so she has enough to snack on while I’m at work. I love biscuits. Generally, something sweet around tea time but I don’t usually buy then. I often just get a bulk pack of rusks and snack on that for a while before they run out. 

What I love about this cake is that it has very little refined sugar and it’s made with yoghurt instead of milk for that soft texture. In my mind, that’s added protein. 

If you’re diabetic, you can also substitute the sugars for a full 1/2 cup of honey. It’s just as lovely. 

Did you know: Lemons are a fall and early spring fruit? Now is the best time to use them. Lemons are also an excellent source of vitamin C. I’m not too certain about how it aids weight loss. A lot of the time nutritionists reckon it’s just not true. But I do know for a fact that it can help with kidney stones if you suffer from them. 

Dry Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour (I use stoneground Eureka Mills flour) 

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients

3 large eggs

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup sifted icing sugar (alternatively use 1/2 cup honey and omit this ingredient)

the rind of two lemons (roughly 2 tablespoons)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1 cup fat-free plain yoghurt

Lemon glaze

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Method

1. Heat oven to 180 degrees.

2. In a large bowl whisk dry ingredients well.

3. Whisk all the wet ingredients together for 1 minute.

4. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients in. Mix with a spatula or a spoon until the mixture is just combined. There will be lumps but don’t overmix or else the cake becomes dense.

5. Bake for 40-45 minutes in a medium size loaf pan. (If you don’t want a very brown top, cover your cake with foil 30 minutes into your baking. Just slide it over the top. Don’t remove the cake from the oven and cover it tightly because you’ll run the risk of the cake overbaking)

6. Let the cake cool for about an hour before pouring glaze over it and decorating it with lemon rings.