Some Sort of Lemon Bread

Happy Monday! The other day I was craving lemon poppy seed bread, but we didn’t have poppy seeds. So, I got creative and came up with this delicious bread that is somewhere between a bread and a poundcake. It was ah-ma-zing and I can’t wait for y’all to try it.

We have had a lot of lemons in our house lately, hence all the recipes including lemon. I have been baking non stop, and let me tell you it is not a good thing for my waistline. BUT I am an advocate for dessert, bread and all things carb, so the baking show will go on. This recipe was born because I didn’t have the ingredients I needed - so used what I had. That’s the motto for quarantine, am I right?! I also linked my favorite loaf pan at the bottom of this post.

Did you know that poppy seeds have a nutty flavor?

Well, Google taught me that, and from there I decided that to achieve a similar flavor, I could use almond extract! I added some other tasty ingredients and some sort of lemon bread was born!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups flour

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 cup heavy cream (could also use whole milk)

• 1/4 cup sour cream

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 tsp almond extract

• Zest of 1 large lemon

• Juice of 1 large lemon - about 1/3 cup

• Unsweetened coconut flakes

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

• Add all dry ingredients to a bowl and mix.

• In a separate bowl, add in all wet ingredients + zest, and whisk together until smooth.

• Pour wet ingredient mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients.

• Combine until smooth and fully incorporated.

• Take out your favorite 9 x 5 loaf pan (I linked my favorites below!) and grease the pan using a stick of butter. You can also use non stick spray, but the butter makes for a yummy crust. I then sprinkled some white sugar in the pan and coated everything. This is an unnecessary step, but sure is good!

• Pour in the batter

• Top with unsweetened coconut flakes and sprinkle on a spoonful of sugar.

• Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

This recipe can be customized to you. You can add blueberries or raspberries to the batter! Or, even pineapple! For the topping, if you don’t like coconut, below is an easy recipe for a crumbly streusel. I typically make this when I make blueberry muffins and it is delicious!

Streusel Topping

• 1/2 cup sugar (can use white or brown)

• 1/2 cup flour

• 3 tbs unsalted butter

Add sugar and flour to a bowl. Cut the butter in small cubes and add to the mixture. Using your hands (or a pastry cutter if you want to be fancy) break down the butter and combine everything together. It should be very clumpy! You can add this to the top of any bread or muffin.

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