Lemon Loaf

 Oh Lemon Loaf... how I love you...

If you like lemon, this is the recipe for you. Sweet, but tart, lemony goodness that's great for breakfast with some hot coffee or even a snack. I really like making this one, but seriously, except for the time I broke a bottle of lemon Pledge, my kitchen has never smelled that lemony.

That's a lot of lemons... 

Ingredients

For the Lemon Loaf:

• 1 ½ cups cake flour
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 ¼ cups sugar
• 8 large eggs, at room temperature
• ¼ cup grated lemon zest (from about 4 lemons)
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• ½ cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 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 to 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans; dust with flour, tapping out excess.

In a medium bowl, sift together both flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed combine sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice. *NOTE - I do not have a stand mixer. I used a hand mixer with beater attachments on a low setting. It mixed well and set well, but was a bit messy as before you put the sour cream, vanilla and flour in it's all liquid. Handle with care.

With the mixer still running, drizzle the butter into the bowl. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix to combine.

 Sprinkle in the flour mixture over the batter, one third at a time, folding gently after each addition until just combined. Do not overmix.

 

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes, rotate the pans, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake for another 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes.

 

While the loaf is cooling, make the lemon syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir together the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat; set aside.

Remove loaves to a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the loaves. Brush the tops and sides of the loaves with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush again. Let the cakes cool completely.

To make the lemon glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and 4 tablespoons of the lemon juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. Add up to another tablespoon of lemon juice if the mixture is too stiff. Pour the lemon glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.

This recipe made two loaves. I tossed one in the fridge and shared the next day. The other I carefully wrapped in foil, plastic wrap and a plastic ziplock bag and placed in the freezer for a rainy day. My best advice is to let the frozen loaf defrost for 4-6 hours before heating. Toss a slice or two in the toaster to let the icing soften up a bit. 

Enjoy!