Citrus Poppy Seed Cake

'To render the picture perfect, tea stood ready on the table, an English tea, whereof the whole shining service glanced at me familiarly; from he solid silver urn, of antique pattern, and the massive pot of the same metal, to the thin porcelain cups, dark with purple and gliding. I knew the very seed-cake of peculiar form, baked in a peculiar mould, which always had a place on he tea-table at Bretton.'

My Seed Cake is filled with lemon and Poppy Seeds. My mould is heart-shaped. Nonetheless, despite the variance, this recipe is one which I speculate Lucy Snowe's friend, Graham, for whom this seed-cake is made, would still be a personal favourite!

Sponge 
6oz butter
6oz caster sugar

a)^ cream until light and fluffy

6oz self raising flour, sifted
1tsp baking powder, sifted into flour
3 eggs, beaten

b) ^ fold alternatively into mixture until combined

2 lemon zest
1/2 large orange zest
1 lemon juice
1.5g poppy seeds

c)^ fold gently into mixture until combined, add more or less citrus to taste and depending on the size of the citrus fruits you use

d) pour into a cake mould of your choice and bake at 170oc for 40 minutes or until, on sticking a skewer into the centre, it comes our clean

Syrup 

2 lemon juices

1 lemon zest 

2g icing sugar, sieved 

100g granulated sugar 

e)^ whisk ingredients together until combined into a smooth syrup 

f) prick holes with a form in the hot seed-cake and pour the syrup over the top