Buttermilk for baking

Buttermilk is an interesting ingredient that is often overlooked. Of course it has a long history of use in many cultures – I grew up with buttermilk as a staple in our home, and Northern European cultures also drink plenty of it. But somehow the benefits of using it for cooking aren't always appreciated.

It’s a creamy, low-fat way of adding moisture and depth of flavour to your baked goods without adding extra fat. I used it to make a fresh buttermilk lemon and poppyseed loaf.  This is a delicious little cake that was not only simple to make but just might be your new favourite.

The buttermilk added richness to the other simple ingredients. Lemon made an appearance, along with crunchy little poppy seeds. The smell of the cake baking in the oven was heavenly! You should definitely try this one.

buttermilk lemon and poppyseed loaf

makes 1 loaf

*use organic where possible

55g butter (about 1/4 cup), softened

25ml oil (any non-fragrant oil)

100g (1/2 cup) brown sugar

zest of 1 lemon

2 eggs

100ml (1/2 cup) buttermilk

20g (2 tbsp) poppyseeds

200g (1 and 1/2 cups) plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch sea salt

Preheat oven to 175 degrees C (350 F).

Butter and flour a loaf pan (20 x 10 x 6cm) and keep aside.

In a bowl, place butter, oil and sugar and beat until light and fluffy – about 3 minutes. Add the lemon zest and 2 eggs – mix in. Next, mix in the buttermilk and poppyseeds (mixture might look curdled but don’t worry!). Sift in the flour, baking powder and sea salt. Incorporate well but don’t overmix. Place batter into pan and bake for 45 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Take out and let cool before slicing. Enjoy!