Clementine poppy seed loaf

This easy, zesty loaf cake makes a lighter festive alternative to traditionally dense fruitcakes – pipe the icing and add candied peel to add a touch of Christmas sparkle

Prep:30 mins
Cook:1 hrs 10 mins
plus cooling

Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 516
fat 28g
saturates 17g
carbs 62g
sugars 44g
fibre 1g
protein 4g
salt 0.4g

Ingredients

140g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
50g crème fraîche
200g golden caster sugar
1 tsp orange or vanilla extract
3 large eggs
225g self-raising flour
50g cornflour
2 tbsp poppy seeds, plus extra for sprinkling
4 clementines, zest from 3 and 100ml juice
140g unsalted butter, softened
300g icing sugar
140g crème fraîche
zest 2 clementines
1 tbsp chopped candied peel (optional)

Method

Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and grease a 2lb loaf tin. Line the base and ends with a long strip of baking parchment.
Beat the butter, crème fraîche, sugar and vanilla extract until pale and fluffy. Whisk in the eggs, one by one, followed by the flours, poppy seeds, zest and juice. Scrape into the prepared tin and bake on a middle shelf for 1 hr–1 hr 10 mins until a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean. Cool the cake for 20 mins in the tin, then carefully tip out and cool completely on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, make the icing – beat together the butter, icing sugar and crème fraîche until pale and fluffy. Add half the clementine zest and beat just a couple of times to incorporate, then cover and leave in the fridge to chill until the cake is ready to ice and the icing is firm enough to spread or pipe.
Spread the icing all over the cake or put in a food bag or piping bag, snip off the corner and pipe thick stripes over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining clementine zest, the candied peel (if you like), and a pinch more poppy seeds. Will keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days.