It’s a recipe well known in the blogosphere that I’m offering you today: Bernard‘s ultimate lemon loaf cake. Discovered a few years ago, I hadn’t yet taken the time to make it. Now it’s done, and I must say it was a huge success.
On the other hand, for me it’s quite difficult to compare, because I’ve never really liked lemon. I’m only just starting to appreciate it in the pastries I make (I’m thinking in particular of lemon tart). So I haven’t made many. The only other lemon loaf cake I’ve made is the one with poppy seeds (excellent too, by the way). But you’ll easily understand that I’m not the best placed to compare. My work colleagues, as well as my other half’s (since I’ve already made it twice), loved it! I think I can say it’s a safe bet!
Don’t be alarmed when you read the amount of sugar needed to make this dessert (especially if, like me, you double the proportions of the recipe to make a large loaf)… Bernard explains very clearly on his blog that it’s only with this proportion of sugar that the sugar/acidity balance is perfect.
Ingredients & method
2 components · Full recipe
Cake
Ingredients
- 200g (7.1 oz) caster sugar
- 120g (4.2 oz) butter, melted
- zest of 1 lemon
- 165g (5.8 oz) eggs (about 3 eggs)
- 150g (5.3 oz) plain flour
- 80g (2.8 oz) lemon juice
- ½ tsp baking powder
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 170°C / 340°F fan.
2
Butter and flour a large loaf tin.
3
Melt the butter in the microwave.
4
In a bowl or stand mixer bowl, combine the sugar, melted butter and lemon zest. Mix briefly — do not whip to make the mixture pale (use the paddle attachment if using a stand mixer). While continuing to mix, add the eggs.
5
Add the flour and baking powder.
6
Finish by adding the lemon juice.
7
Pour the batter into the tin. It should come to about three-quarters of the tin’s height.
8
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. To check doneness, insert a sharp knife into the centre of the cake — it should come out clean. The cake should be lightly golden and not too domed. Turn out and immediately wrap tightly in cling film to retain all its moisture. Leave to cool completely.
Lemon Icing
Ingredients
- 25g (0.9 oz) lemon juice
- 130g (4.6 oz) icing sugar
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 100°C / 210°F.
2
Once the cake is at room temperature, make the icing by mixing the icing sugar with the lemon juice. Adjust the consistency as needed: add a little more lemon juice to thin it out, or a little more icing sugar to thicken it. Remove the cling film and place the cake on a wire rack set over a plate to catch any drips.
3
Pour the icing over the entire surface of the cake and use a small palette knife to spread it evenly so all sides are coated. Since the icing is sweet, apply it in a thin layer.
4
Place the cake back on its rack and bake for 8 minutes to dry the icing. When it comes out of the oven, the icing should feel silky to the touch — completely dry and very smooth.
5
Leave to cool, then serve in thin slices.
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