Lemon & Fennel Loaf W/ Honey Lemon Glaze

Welcome back to my kitchen!

There's something truly comforting about a slice of cake with a warm cup of tea, especially when the flavours are as inviting as in this lemon & fennel loaf. The subtle hint of fennel paired with zesty lemon creates a cake that's light, moist, and full of character. But the real magic happens when you drizzle on that honey lemon glaze—it adds just the right amount of sweetness and really makes the lemon flavour pop. This is the kind of cake I love to enjoy on a quiet afternoon, and I think you will too. 

So let's get started!

        Makes: 1 9-inch loaf -Prep time: 15 min -Cook time: 50 minutes - Serves: 8

Equipment

9x5'' loaf tin

Microplane

Large bowl

Whisk

Spatula

Kitchen scales

Ingredients

Cake

160g granulated sugar 

12g lemon zest

3g ground fennel

4g imitation vanilla* (see notes)

4g salt (I use Himalayan)

2 large eggs (52 g each, without shell)

240g plain flour

5g baking powder

3g baking soda 

60g neutral oil (I use vegetable)

200g oat milk

Glaze

40g honey (I use mixed blossom)

90g soft icing mixture* (see notes)

juice of a lemon

Method

Preheat your oven to 180°C fan forced (350°F). Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with baking paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together 160g sugar, 12g lemon zest, 3g ground fennel, 4g vanilla and 4g salt until well combined. Add 2 eggs, mix well, then add 240g plain flour, 5g baking powder, and 3g baking soda to the bowl, whisk. Add 60g oil and 200g oat milk, mix, pour into prepared tin.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, checking for doneness at 45 minutes. A skewer inserted into the center should come out clean (mine took 45 minutes). The top should develop a nice crust with good color.

In a small microwave safe bowl add 40g honey, heat for 30-40 seconds, once liquified add 90g icing mixture and gradually the juice of 1 lemon until you reach a runny glaze.

Let the cake stand in the tin for 5-10 minutes then spoon over half of the glaze, let glaze set. Lift out the cake and place it on a cooling rack or flip the tin over and place the cake on top of it. Let it cool for 25-30 minutes. Slice into 8 pieces, serve with a drizzle of glaze and enjoy!

The fennel flavour will intensify overnight, as the oils are drawn out. So if the flavour is a bit mild for you on the day of the bake, let the cake sit overnight and try it again before making any adjustments.

Notes

Imitation vanilla: Vanilla, extract and imitation, contain a compound called vanillin, among other compounds, The vanillin is the primary compound and is the most recognizable as the flavour of vanilla and whilst both extract and imitation both contain this compound, imitation is more of a large hit of vanillin. And when we bake extract or imitation vanilla at high heat, we drive off a lot of the volatile aromas, that's why your kitchen smells great, but it can leave your baked goods lacking, so in my oven / high heat bakes I opt for imitation, but for pastry creams, whipped cream or icings I use extract, as the taste difference is far more noticable. 

Soft icing mixture: Icing sugar mixture is different to pure icing sugar, mixture has a small addition of corn starch, tapioca starch or wheat starch I use icing mixture because glazes made from pure icing sugar cracks off when you try and slice the cake.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, and if you give it a try, let me know how it turns out! Your feedback means the world to me. Happy baking!

Much love,