pucker up … Very Lemon Loaf Cake

There’s something so bright and refreshing about lemons.  I might even say bracing.  They make me happy.  The bright color and perky flavor is exactly what I need during this gloomy, grey and wet time.  If you live somewhere sunny then you probably don’t know what I’m talking about but think about this.  Last week I was wearing shorts and a light sweater.  Four days later it was cold and drenching wet.  Three days after that it snowed.  I’ll take any bit of brightness I can get and if that’s in the form of some grocery store citrus than so be it.

Lemon anything is always on my top 10 list.  I think I get that from my Dad.  Every year for his birthday, he’d ask for two things:  a lemon meringue pie and “some god damn peace and quiet.”  I never understood that later but I certainly appreciated the former.  My mom would make a pie with, I think, some Jell-o product topped with a big pile of fluffy white meringue.  As a kid, I didn’t understand meringue and was always perplexed when it didn’t taste like marshmallows.  It certainly looked like marshmallows.  What gives?

I’ve had a lot of lemons pass through this joint lately – 4 rounds of Shaker Lemon Pie and endless batches of candied lemon slices will do that.  After all those pies and tarts and cookies, I had an urge for a buttery rich pound cake so I made the Lemon Loaf Cake from Baking with Julia, a favorite of mine.  It was good.  But I wanted so much more.  More pucker, more punch, more sunshine.

I wanted an intense pop of puckery lemon and this just wasn’t delivering.  So I made it a few more times, adjusting this or adding that.  It’s challenging to pump up that lemon flavor without adding a bunch extracts that taste like furniture polish so I decided to go another route.  I focused on adding flavor from the outside in.  A warm lemon syrup poured over the hot cake then once cooled, slicked with a thick tart glaze.  Bingo.  A tender lemon cake with a big puckery punch of lemon around the edges.  It’s right at home in a sophisticated lunchbox or with a cup of tea.  I may even have a few slices stashed in the freezer for those gloomy day emergencies I am sure will come.

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR:  INSTANT PICK ME UP.  Slice off a piece (or two) and hunker down under a blanket with a good book and a hot cup of something.  This is a downright slice of sunshine.  Be prepared, the topping packs a bright punch but sometimes you need that.

On this blog four years ago:  Brown Butter Banana Bread
On this blog three years ago:  Peanut Butter Bars
On this blog two years ago:  Peterson Garden Project – round 2
On this blog one year ago:  Strawberries in Hibiscus Syrup
Other lemon desserts on this blog:  Shaker Lemon Pie, Classic Lemon Tart, Candied Lemon Cookies

REALLY LEMONY LOAF CAKE – based on Norman Love’s recipe in Baking with Julia
Serves 10
I’ve added pure lemon oil to punch up the flavor in the cake – I much prefer the oil to the extract.  But use a light hand; too much and the cake will taste like Lemon Pledge.

for the cake:
1 ¾ cups cake flour
½ teaspoons baking powder
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/3 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Zest of 3 medium lemons
¼ teaspoon pure lemon oil
½ cup heavy cream, room temperature
5 ½ Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

for the lemon syrup:
juice of 2 lemons – about ½ cup
about ½ cup sugar – measure equal to the lemon juice

for the powdered sugar glaze:
2-2 ½ Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (a bit less than the juice of one medium lemon)
1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
pinch of kosher salt

1. For the cake:  Preheat the oven with a rack in the center to 350°F; line a 9”x5” loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and salt until foamy and just blended.
4. Whisk in the lemon zest and lemon oil.
5. Whisk in the flour in thirds, mixing lightly until just barely incorporated.
6. Whisk in the heavy cream.
7. Switch to a rubber spatula and quickly fold in the cooled melted butter.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
9. Bake for 50-60 minutes until golden brown, the top is firm to the touch and and a toothpick inserted just off center comes out clean.
10. For the hot lemon syrup:  5 minutes before the cake is done baking, juice two of the zested lemons, measure and combine with an equal measure of sugar in a small saucepan (typically ½ cup for a medium sized lemon)
11. Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar.
12. Remove the cake from the oven, place on a wire rack and pierce all over with a toothpick or skewer.
13. Pour the hot lemon syrup over the hot cake and let cool completely.  If the syrup puddles around the edges, let it cool and thicken a little then use a pastry brush to redistribute the syrup.
14. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
15. Gently tug at the parchment paper to release the cake from the pan; you may have to run knife along the short sides of the pan to help loosen.
16. Remove the parchment paper and set the cake on a wire rack set over a sheet pan or another piece of parchment or foil to catch drips.
17. For the lemon glaze:  in a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, powdered sugar and salt to form a thick pourable glaze.  If needed, add more powdered sugar to achieve that thick pouring consistency.
18. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake and let sit, uncovered at room temperature, until the glaze sets and hardens – at least 1 hour.
19. The cake will keep at room temperature, tightly covered, for several days.