One thing that I enjoyed about living in San Francisco was the abundance of citrus. It was so easy to grow there that a co-worker with a Meyer lemon tree in her yard would bring in big bags of lemons to give away. Given the differences in climate, I figured it wouldn’t be possible to grow citrus here in Portland, until I saw indoor citrus trees in a cafe in Sweden. If they could grow citrus trees in Sweden, I thought, it should be no problem here. So I did a little research, and it turns out that some varieties of citrus can live outside in a pot during the summer, and then come inside for the winter. So this summer I bought an Improved Meyer Lemon tree, put it in a pot, and kept it in the sunniest part of my yard. When it started to get cold this fall, first we brought it onto the porch, and then indoors.

Honestly, I had no idea if it was doing well, but then one of the green lemons that had been there for months started to turn yellow. And now I’ve got ripe fruit along with pretty white flowers, so it seems like it’s a happy little tree. Supposedly the flowers smell really nice, but when I hit my head in my accident I lost my sense of smell (hopefully it’ll come back, but no one can tell me for sure). My mom smelled them for me and said they smell like jasmine, which sounds wonderful.

I figured I should make something extra-lemony to celebrate my very first lemon harvest, and I’ve always loved the combination of lemon and poppyseeds, so I made this loaf. I used a bundt cake pan to make it look extra special, but it’s really not very sweet, so it’s more like a cross between a quick bread and a cake. Of course I used Meyer lemons for my loaf, but you can substitute regular lemons, or even other types of citrus.

Lemon Poppyseed Yogurt Loaf
Adapted from here.

1 1/2 cups  all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon white sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (1 to 2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cups poppyseeds
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a bundt pan, or an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. If using a loaf pain, line the bottom with parchment paper.

Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Mix in the poppyseeds. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, on the stovetop over medium heat cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Flip it onto a cooling rack and place the rack over a plate or baking sheet. Poke it with a toothpick all over the top. Spoon the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

For presentation, immediately before serving, dust with sugar by shaking the powdered sugar in a fine mesh strainer over the cake.