When you live in the midwest, 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. A way for me to make spring come a little sooner is to make the foods that I associate with the spring. One of those foods 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. Give this lemon loaf cake recipe a try.
Ingredients for My Lemon Loaf Cake Recipe:
- Butter - provides texture and structure.
- Granulated Sugar - adds sweetness.
- Eggs - provide the leavening, color, and richness in our cake.
- Cake Flour - I prefer cake flour, but I've also used all-purpose with no problems. Cake flour provides a more tender crumb.
- Buttermilk - makes a more tender crumb and provides a slight tang.
- Lemons - for the zest and juice.
- Vanilla Extract - I use vanilla and you can also add some almond extract.
- Baking Powder - provides the leavening in our cake.
- Salt - to combat the sweetness and acidity.
- Confectioners Sugar - for our glaze.
HOW TO MAKE MY LEMON LOAF CAKE RECIPE:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of your 9x5" loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease the bottom and sides of the pan with butter and flour as well as cooking spray and set aside.
- Combine all your dry ingredients onto a parchment sheet or in a large bowl and set aside.
- Combine your buttermilk and vanilla extract and set aside. 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 minutes until light and fluffy on medium-low speed. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl and paddle well. Add in the lemon zest and juice and then add in the eggs one at a time waiting for each egg to absorb into the batter before adding the second. Note: Your batter may appear broken or curdled but that's normal because we've only added wet ingredients so far.
- Next, add one third of the dry ingredients on low speed after mixing for about 20 seconds, add half of the buttermilk mixture, and mix in. Then add in more of the dry ingredients, then the rest of the buttermilk mixture before finishing off with the remaining dry ingredients. So you're alternating between the dry and wet ingredients, starting and ending with the dry. Mix until everything is just combined and then stop the mixer.
- Use a rubber spatula to fold in any remaining bits of the flour and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl well. Don't overmix! Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes or until the batter no longer jiggles and a cake tester comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then unmold onto a wire rack to cool slightly.
- To make the simple syrup, start by boiling the sugar with the lemon juice and zest 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.
- Zest the second half of the lemon you used for the simple syrup. Set the zest aside. Make lemon-vanilla glaze by combining the lemon juice, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, a small pinch of salt, and a bit of milk, cream, or water to thin it down. Whisk until thicker and it ribbons off your whisk. You can optionally add in a bit tiny of almond extract here as well. Pour the glaze over the cake and garnish with the lemon zest we set aside. Enjoy this cake with a side of fresh fruit, ice cream, or whipped cream!
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Lemon Loaf Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ cups cake flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup buttermilk you can also use milk instead
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Zest and juice from one medium lemon
Simple Syrup:
- Lemon zest and juice from half a lemon
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Vanilla Lemon Glaze:
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- zest and juice from half a lemon set zest aside for garnish, don't add directly into glaze.
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream you can use milk or water instead.
- small pinch salt
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of your 9x5" loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease the bottom and sides of the pan with butter and flour as well as cooking spray and set aside.
- Combine all your dry ingredients onto a parchment sheet or in a large bowl and set aside.
- Combine your buttermilk and vanilla extract and set aside. 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 minutes until light and fluffy on medium-low speed. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl and paddle well. Add in the lemon zest and juice and then add in the eggs one at a time waiting for each egg to absorb into the batter before adding the second. Note: Your batter may appear broken or curdled but that's normal because we've only added wet ingredients so far.
- Next, add one third of the dry ingredients on low speed after mixing for about 20 seconds, add half of the buttermilk mixture, and mix in. Then add in more of the dry ingredients, then the rest of the buttermilk mixture before finishing off with the remaining dry ingredients. So you're alternating between the dry and wet ingredients, starting and ending with the dry. Mix until everything is just combined and then stop the mixer.
- Use a rubber spatula to fold in any remaining bits of the flour and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl well. Don't overmix! Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes or until the batter no longer jiggles and a cake tester comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then unmold onto a wire rack to cool slightly.
Simple Syrup:
- To make the simple syrup, start by boiling the sugar with the lemon juice and zest 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.
Lemon Vanilla Glaze and final :
- Zest the second half of the lemon you used for the simple syrup. Set the zest aside. Make lemon-vanilla glaze by combining the lemon juice, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, a small pinch of salt, and a bit of milk, cream, or water to thin it down. Whisk until thicker and it ribbons off your whisk. You can optionally add in a bit tiny of almond extract here as well. Pour the glaze over the cake and garnish with the lemon zest we set aside. Enjoy this cake with a side of fresh fruit, ice cream, or whipped cream!
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