Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

My mom made lemon poppy seed bread a lot while I was growing up. She acquired a recipe from a neighbor of ours and it has been a staple in her culinary repertoire. While she did alter the original recipe with one of her infamous tricks, substituting apple sauce for oil, it still turns out very moist and delicious. For the original, full-fat recipe, simply cut out the applesauce and add 1/2 cup of oil instead.

1 - 18.25-oz. box lemon cake mix (with pudding in mix)
1 - 3-oz. package instant lemon pudding mix
1 cup boiling water
4 eggs
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup oil
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3-1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, water, eggs, applesauce and oil. Beat with a mixer for two minutes. Stir in poppy seeds. Pour into a 9-by-5-inch greased baking pan. You will have enough batter left over for two mini loaf pans. Bake for 35 minutes; remove the mini loaves. Continue baking the large loaf for about another 15 minutes. When slightly cooled, remove loaves from pans and transfer to a wire rack covered with wax paper. When the loaves have cooled completely, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice until well blended. You may need to add more lemon juice to reach the desired texture for the glaze. Drizzle over top of each loaf.