When I caught up with my dearest friend from Singapore, she told me that it is illegal to take poppy seeds to their country. I was so surprised. Why??? The reason being is that every gram of seeds has about 33 micrograms of morphine and 14 micrograms of codeine. So…they are happy seeds? 🙂 That’s not enough to cause any ill effects from their use in baked goods, but it is enough to show up as a false positive result in drug tests. These seeds contain several vital minerals like zinc, calcium, magnesium, which is essential for the functioning of your body. They are an excellent source of carbs for energy and omega-3 fatty acids for healthy heart as well.
I just like looking at this cake – little dots of poppy seeds, moist inside and nicely browned outside of the loaf. Plus, it has the nuttiness, the crunchiness and the very distinct flavour from poppy seeds. Toasting these guys creates a nutty and sweet flavour. I think it needs more zingy lemon flavour and sweetness though. So if you have a sweet tooth, definitely add more sweetener or drizzle lemony icing on top. I packed a half of the loaf for my friend to take home. I’ve done so much baking recently and they are not disappearing quickly enough. Cakes, anyone? 🙂
Ingredients
200g self-raising flour
6 eggs
50g brown sugar
1 tbsp of honey
50g olive oil
1 lemon zest and juice
50g of poppy seeds
a pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a loaf pan with a baking paper. Toast poppy seeds in a pan for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Take it off the heat and set aside. Lightly beat the eggs in a mixing bowl. Add all ingredients in and stir to combine. Then pour the mixture into the pan and bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes or until cooked or a skewer comes out clean. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.
