Sunday Brunch — Lemon Lemon Loaf

When Sprouts is selling Meyer lemons the size of baseballs, you may not make lemonade, but you must make something. This morning I made a Lemon Lemon Loaf using a recipe from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking using fresh juice and zest from these ginormous lemons.

It turned out tasty and looking quite lovely but it was a little too moist for my liking. I halved the following recipe so my measurements could have been slightly off. I'm thinking though that it may have been due to the fact that I substituted cake flour (didn't have any) for regular flour plus cornstarch. Or perhaps it was just because of the exceptionally juicy lemons?

The Lemon Lemon Loaf is a flavorful accompaniment to your morning coffee and I also imagine that it would make for a good dessert alongside some raspberry sorbet.

Lemon Lemon Loaf
Makes 2 9-inch loaves

For the lemon cake:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
8 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup grated lemon zest (approximately 4 lemons)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the lemon syrup:
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar

For the lemon glaze:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
4-6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350º. Butter the sides and bottoms of two 9-inch loaf pans. Line the bottoms with parchment and spray the paper.

In a medium bowl, sift both flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a mixer, combine the sugar, eggs, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix on low speed. Slowly pour in the melted butter. Add the sour cream and vanilla and continue mixing until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to gently fold it in. Do not overmix.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake on the middle rack for 20 minutes, rotate the pans, reduce oven temperature to 325º and continue baking an additional 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the lemon syrup. Combine the lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved, then continue to cook about 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Remove the loaves from the pans and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the loaves. Brush with the lemon syrup, allow to soak in and brush again. Allow the them to cool completely.

When the loaves are cool, prepare the lemon glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and 4 tablespoons lemon juice. Pour glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let the loaves sit for about 15 minutes, or until the glaze hardens, before serving. The glazed loaves, tightly wrapped in plastic, will keep for 3 days.

Source: Baked: New Frontiers in Baking