Lovely Lemon Loaf
When you live in the mid-west, you suffer through cold winters that feel endless. Because of that, you miss the simple things in life. You miss the flowers, the sounds of birds chirping, and most importantly, you miss seeing the sun! Yes, southerners, we miss the sun. I really can't wait for spring to finally arrive. A way for me to bring spring a little earlier is to make things I associate with spring. One of those things is this lovely lemon loaf cake. I call it a loaf cake and not a pound cake for one reason. It's technically not a pound cake. It doesn't have the pound ratio of ingredients that make up a pound cake. So, loaf cake it is. This cake is so delicious! The bright, tart lemon flavor with the sweetness with some berries on the side, really sets this off. If you're feeling wild, add some whipped cream or ice cream on the side as well. I wouldn't blame you. The texture of the cake is perfect. It's fluffy, moist, and a fine crumb. Exactly what I want from a cake.
REASONS YOU SHOULD TRY THIS RECIPE:
- wonderful recipe for spring or summer hosting
- one bowl recipe and you don't need a stand mixer
- tender crumb and soft cake full of lemon tang
INGREDIENTS FOR LOVELY LEMON LOAF CAKE:
- Unsalted butter - helps with our buttery flavor as well as incorporating air
- Granulated sugar - sweetens the cake and will be used to incorporate air into batter
- Eggs - provides moisture and structure
- Cake flour - provides a tender crumb
- Baking powder - leavens or allows the cake to rise
- Salt - brings out the rest of the flavors
- Milk or Buttermilk - provides moisture and tenderness
- Vanilla extract - provides sweet flavor
- Zest and juice from lemons - for our lemon punch of flavor in the cake and glaze
- Confectioners Sugar - to sweeten our glaze for our glaze
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Zest and juice 2-3 large lemons and set aside.. Butter and flour a loaf pan and set aside.
- Sift all your dry ingredients together onto a parchment sheet or in a large bowl.
- Combine your buttermilk and vanilla extract. I also added a drop of almond extract, but that's totally optional.
- Cream the butter and sugar together with a paddle attachment for 5-7 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time. Stop the mixer scrape the bowl and paddle in between each egg addition.
- After the eggs are blended in and no longer visible in the batter, add half the dry ingredients. Mix on low. Add in all the buttermilk mixture and mix on low. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl and paddle well. Start the mixer on low and add in the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape the bowl again. Fold in lemon juice and half the zest.
- Scrape the bowl and paddle one last time to get anything that wasn't mixed properly in the bottom of the bowl. Bake for 40-50 minutes. I really only needed 49 minutes. Don't overbake! Good test is if it springs back when touched. Also, if a toothpick comes out with a little bit of crumbs. That's perfect. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then unmold. After it cools slightly, you can move it.
- To make the simple syrup, start by boiling the sugar and lemon juice in a pan for 5 minutes. Whisk occasionally and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Once the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens up just a bit, take it off the heat and allow it to cool slightly. When you're ready, poke holes in the cake with a wooden skewer or toothpick and pour the room-temperature syrup all over the warm cake.
- Make lemon-vanilla glaze by combining the lemon juice, confectioners sugar, vanilla extract, and a bit of milk or water to thin it down. Pour over the cake and garnish with remaining lemon zest. Enjoy this cake with a side of fruit, ice cream or whipped cream!
- Cake:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Zest and juice from ½ lemon
- Glaze:
- Lemon zest from 1 lemon
- Juice from 1 lemon
- ¼ cup sugar
HOW TO MAKE MY LOVELY LEMON LOAF CAKE:
Cover when not eating or the cake will dry out.Ingredients
Instructions
Notes