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So for those who didn’t know, Joanna Gaines is pretty much my spirit animal. I love her classic style, her effortless take on design and entertaining, her family values, her cute relationship with Chip, her kids names (I mean we almost named our son Duke), and pretty much everything about her. So naturally when she came out with her own cookbook I read every page cover to cover in one night, tagging all the pages I wanted to try.  (Side note – if you haven’t already checked out Magnolia Table, Joanna Gaines’ cookbook, do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy!)

Now let me give you a little back story.  I absolutely love to cook. There’s something so therapeutic about being in the kitchen with some music playing and just throwing in some random flavors and watching it come together and the looks on everyone’s faces as they dig into your masterpiece.  However, my family will be the first ones’ to tell you I’m no baker.  I mean I once made chocolate chip cookies from scratch, we ran out of vanilla extract so I threw a little anise in. (Why not?) Well, the end result was absolutely repulsive, they tasted like black licorice! And then there was the time I made a cheesecake for my sister’s birthday and it was stuck to the pan, we pretty much had to scoop it out.

So when I told my family I was going to make Joanna Gaines’ lemon poppyseed bread they just gave me a look.  So there I was, just me and my apron in the kitchen in all my glory ready to prove my family wrong when I realized the recipe called for vanilla extract and there was none to be found in my spice cabinet. The dude was taking a nap so I couldn’t run out to the store, but I saw a tiny bottle of almond extract in the back. This tiny voice inside my head told me I’d been down that road before and hadn’t I learned my lesson but I thought why not I can use almond instead right?

Well my friends, I am renaming this Nicolle’s Victory Loaf  because let me tell you, the combo of lemon and almond is just so perfectly fresh and sweet!

Here’s my spin on Joanna Gaine’s lemon poppyseed bread

Ingredients:

Lemon Poppyseed Bread 
Vegetable oil spray
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cups milk
1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon almond extract (Jo’s calls for vanilla here)

Lemon Drizzle 
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with vegetable oil.

2.) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, poppyseeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3.) In another bowl combine sugar, milk, eggs, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and almond extract stirring until all combined. Add the dry ingredients to the liquid mixture and stir together.

4.) Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and bake in the center of the rack in your oven for about one hour. (I test by inserting a butter knife or toothpick into the middle and when it comes out clean you know it’s done).

5.) Let cool on a baking rack before taking the loaf out of the pan.

6.) While the loaf is cooling prepare the lemon drizzle. Sift the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Add the lemon zest and stir together. Stir in 1 tablespoon of water and as much of the lemon juice as necessary to make a pourable icing.

7.) Drizzle over the loaf either warm or at room temp.

Let me know which version you made, Jo’s or mine and how you liked it!!!