Lemon Loaf
Course: DessertCuisine: New Zealand’Difficulty: Medium
Servings
1
LoafPrep time
10
minutesCooking time
1
hourTotal time
1
hour10
minutesThis extra moist lemony loaf has a perfect balance of a little bit of sweetness, a whole lot of citrus tanginess and a delicious, melt-in-your mouth soft texture.
Store leftover loaf in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. Do not refrigerate as this can dry out the cake.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon lemon zest
110 g butter – softened i.e. room temperature
1 ¼ cups sugar
3 eggs – room temperature
1/2 cup lemon juice
½ cup milk – room temperature
- Lemon Glaze (Optional)
1/2 cup icing sugar sifted
1/4 cup lemon juice
- Lemon Icing
1 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon cream or milk
Directions
- Preheat oven to 175°C.
- Grease and flour (or use a non-stick spray) a standard loaf pan.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Stir in the lemon zest. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter on a medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
- Gradually add the sugar and continue beating for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the bowl
- Add lemon juice (NB the batter will curdle)
- Alternate the addition of the flour and milk, in two sequences (i.e. add half the flour and then half the milk, and then add the remainder flour and then the last of the milk). Mix together on a low speed until combined well. Do not over mix.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven for 60-75 minutes until golden on top – and a cake tester* comes out clean.
- Transfer loaf pan to a wire rack and allow to cool down for 10 minutes before removing the loaf to cool down completely on the wire rack.
- Simple Lemon Glaze:
- Whisk together the icing sugar and lemon juice. With a cake tester (or skewer) poke some holes in the loaf top. Brush the glaze over the warm loaf.
- Lemon Icing/Frosting:
- In a medium bowl whisk together the icing sugar, lemon juice, and cream/milk until smooth. Add in more powdered sugar or cream as needed for desired consistency.
- Remove the cooled loaf from the pan and drizzle or pour over the top and let set.
- Garnish
- Sprinkle some fresh lemon zest onto the icing for extra taste and visual effect.
Tips:
- Ensure the oven is preheated – and at the right temperature.
- Take out the milk, eggs and butter from the fridge 30-60 minutes before starting soi they are at room temperature.
- Cream the softened butter then slowly add the sugar until the mix is light and fluffy.This step takes at least 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time and properly beat the mix after each addition. Be sure to scrape down the bowl sides during this process.
- Reduce the speed to low when adding the flour and milk. DO NOT OVER MIX.
- Lemon zest is the bright yellow outer layer of the lemon peel. Use a micro-plane or a box grater for grating the skin. Make sure you only grate the yellow part as the white pith is extremely bitter, and wash the lemon before zesting.
- You can add your own twist to this loaf recipe by adding some sliced toasted almonds (½ cup) or black poppy seeds (2 tablespoons) to the mix,
- * If you don’t have a ‘cake tester’ you can use a kebab skewer.