Lemon & Poppy Seed Muffins/Loaf

Winter started to creep in a few weeks ago which meant that our lemon trees were in full bloom! We finally got down to making these muffins and loaf with freshly picked lemons from the garden, which was definitely worth the wait! The muffins are gluten-free and vegan and the loaf is suitable for lacto-vegetarians and those who are gluten-tolerant since it’s made with wheat flour– all the options are included below. The icing is lacto-vegetarian, but can be made vegan too.

Dry Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups wheat flour (or GF: ½ cup tapioca flour, ¼ cup rice flour, ¼ cup potato flour, ¼ cup coconut flour, ¼ cup corn flour, 1 tsp xanthan gum)

• ¾ cup brown sugar

• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

• ½ tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 Tbsp poppy seeds

Wet Ingredients

• ½ cup odourless coconut oil, at room temperature

• 1 cup milk (or VEGAN: ¾ cup coconut cream + ¼ cup water), at room temperature

• 1 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

• 1 Tbsp grated lemon zest

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting

• 62.5g butter (or VEGAN substitute)

• 1 cup brown sugar (or powdered icing sugar)

• 2 Tbsp coconut cream

• 1 Tbsp grated lemon zest

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• ½ tsp salt

Method

1. In a large bowl, sift together flours, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds. Whisk so that the ingredients are combined evenly.

2. In another bowl, combine coconut oil, milk (or coconut cream + water), lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla extract. If the coconut oil is solid, melt it slightly so that it’s in a liquid state. Ensure that the milk is also at room temperature so that the coconut oil doesn’t solidify.

3. Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and use a whisk to form a homogenous batter.

4. The gluten-free, vegan version of this recipe will form a thick batter that has a texture like icing – these make great bite-sized muffins. Scoop spoonful’s of the batter into a non-stick muffin pan and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for approximately 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the dough comes out clean.

5. The wheat-based, lacto-vegetarian version of this recipe forms a thick, runny batter that’s perfect for baking in a loaf pan. Pour the batter into a non-stick loaf pan and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick/cake tester inserted into the dough comes out clean. Allow the loaf to cool down completely before cutting, otherwise the loaf will crumble easily.

6. To make the icing, first cream the butter and sugar together with a hand beater and then add the coconut cream, lemon zest, vanilla extract and salt. Beat for another 3-5 minutes. Spread on top of the loaf and muffins or serve on the side (for those who have less of a sweet-tooth).