Bakers, it is time to dust off those aprons because I have a real treat for you today! This week I am teaming up with Montagu Dried Fruit and Nuts to bring you some Mother’s Day inspired recipes using delicious dried cranberries. Earlier this week I featured a recipe for butternut, brie and cranberry tartlets, but today it is time for something sweet… how does a lemon, cranberry and poppy seed cake with yoghurt icing sound foodies? (Oh, and loads of pictures of cake, it’s happening.)
Let’s talk about this cake which is sure to be a crowd pleaser at your next tea date and the perfect treat for Mother’s Day! (It is also ideal for those times when you are entertaining a group as you can get a number of portions out of it.) This light and fluffy cake has a delicious lemony flavour with sweet and sharp bursts from the cranberries, and don’t forget the lemony yoghurt icing to finish it all off. So good with a cup of tea! If you love cake then this is definitely one to try.
In my previous post I mentioned some of the health benefits of cranberries, but do you know the difference between good and bad berries, and where they come from? When you are on the hunt for dried cranberries you want to look out for berries that have full bodies and are bright pink in colour. Montagu cranberries are grown in the U.S.A. and are dried in a gentle way in order to preserve their natural colour, flavour and quality. They are handled carefully so as to prevent juice from leaking out and as a result they also have fewer torn pieces. I certainly learnt something new, and I hope you did too!
Dried cranberries are still on promotion in all Montagu stores so do be sure to pop down and grab yours so you can spoil Mum with some cranberry treats. I hope this cake will be gracing some of your tea party tables this Sunday… Happy Mother’s Day!
LEMON, CRANBERRY AND POPPY SEED CAKE WITH YOGHURT DRIZZLE
For the cake:
- butter for greasing
- flour for dusting
- 3 large eggs
- 300ml castor sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 50ml fresh lemon juice
- 3 tbsp grated lemon rind
- 150g butter, melted
- 1 cup warm milk
- 2 cups plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 100g Montagu dried cranberries
- 2 tbsp Montagu poppy seeds
For the icing:
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp plain yoghurt
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1.) Preheat your oven to 180°C. Brush the inside of a 24cm bundt tin with a little melted butter and dust lightly with flour.
2.) Whisk eggs and sugar for 1-2 minutes until pale and creamy. Mix in the vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon rind.
3.) Whisk in the melted butter and warm milk.
4.) Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a separate bowl. Chop the cranberries roughly for a minute. Stir the chopped cranberries and poppy seeds into the flour. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients by hand using a large metal spoon.
5.) Pour the cake batter into your prepared tin. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin.
6.) To make the icing: sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the lemon juice, plain yoghurt and lemon zest. Whisk with a fork until smooth. Turn the cold cake out of the tin and drizzle the icing over the top. Slice and serve.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Montagu Dried Fruit and Nuts. Recipe, images and words are my own.
Cupcakes & Couscous 
Nice!! So beautifully presented and I love how you added the cranberries! (:
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! They definitely add a delicious twist to this cake. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Looks amazing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much! 🙂
LikeLike