Theme: Seasonal Dishes - Spring Dessert
Dish: Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake
Spring reminds me of Easter, colors and lemons, exactly in that order. I know lemonade is great for summer, but hearty desserts with lemon are excellent for Spring as well, me thinks. Bright, lemony desserts are the perfect way to end a Spring or a Summer meal. So today I have a lemon cake that is just oozing with fresh lemony flavor.
I used Meyer Lemons that have a nice citrusy background and are not as tart as regular lemons. You can of course make this cake with regular lemons. Meyer lemons are usually available end of winter and beginning of Spring.
This cake is full of lemon flavor; lemon zest and juice in the cake, then its soaked in lemon syrup and then drizzled with more lemony lemon glaze. I have made this cake twice already and it has received rave reviews both times. I followed the recipe from here. First time I made it, I halved the recipe and made it in a 9" x 5" loaf pan and the second time I made the full recipe in my 12cup bundt pan.
Ingredients:
For the Cake: All purpose flour - 2cups (use 3 cups if not using wholewheat pastry flour) Whole wheat Pastry flour - 1cup Unsalted Butter - 2 sticks, at room temperature
Sugar - 2cups
Extra large Eggs - 4
Meyer Lemon zest - 1/3 cup
Baking Powder - ½tsp
Baking Soda - ½tsp
Meyer Lemon juice - ¼cup
Buttermilk - ¾cup, at room temperature (or use half yogurt and half milk to make ¾ cup)
Vanilla extract - 1tsp
For the Syrup:
Sugar - ½cup
Freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice - ½cup
For the Glaze:
Sifted confectioners sugar - 1cup
Meyer Lemon juice - 3tbsp
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 8½" x 5½" loaf pan or a 9"x13" cake pan or a 12cup bundt cake.
- Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes with hand mixer or stand mixer.
- Add eggs one at a time and mix until incorporated. Next add the lemon zest and mix for 1 minute.
- In a bowl, sift flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine lemon juice, buttermilk and vanilla extract.
- Alternately add flour and buttermilk mixture to the butter mixture, starting and finishing with flour mixture.
- Pour into the prepared pans and bake for 45minutes to 1 hour or until a cake tester/ toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Make the Syrup: Combine sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan and cook on low flame until sugar dissolves.
- Once the cakes are done, let them cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then remove onto a wire rack and spoon the syrup on the top, then cool completely.
- Make the glaze: Combine confectioners sugar and lemon juice. Once the cakes are cooled, drizzle the glaze and let it set before cutting.
Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 27
