Lemon Bliss Lemon Cake
This incredible lemon cake is for serious lemon lovers! It's the perfect spring and summer cake, but the bright, citrus-y flavors are also perfect for chasing away the winter blues.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (8 oz. or 226 grams)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 1 tsp. salt (reduce to 3/4 tsp. if using salted butter)
- 4 large eggs - at room temperature
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (360 grams)
- 1 cup whole milk - room temperature
- 4 Tbsp. lemon zest from 2 large lemons - (1/4 cup) divided
For the glaze:
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- Garnish with more fresh lemon zest*
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Coat the inside of a 10-inch, 10 - 12 cup capacity tube pan or Bundt pan with butter and flour or floured baking spray.
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In a large mixing bowl, add the butter, sugar, and salt. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs to the mixture - one at a time, beating each egg completely into the mixture before adding the next.
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Add the baking powder and a little flour to the wet mixture, and beat just until combined. Alternate additions of milk and flour, mixing additions just until incorporated. Finally, mix in half of the grated lemon zest (save the other half of the zest for the glaze).
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Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes, then check to determine how much more baking time is needed to avoid over-baking. Turn the pan and bake another 10 - 15 minutes (a total of 40 to 50 - 55 minutes) -- just until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out clean.
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While cake is baking, prepare the glaze: Pour lemon juice and powdered sugar into a small bowl, and stir well until sugar dissolves completely. Add the other half of the lemon zest.
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When cake has finished baking, remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes.
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If needed, gently shake the pan or use a butter knife to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan. Remove cake from the pan by placing a serving plate over the top of the pan and gently inverting the pan so they cake rests on the serving plate. If serving right-side-up (as shown here), gently flip the cake
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While cake is still warm, slowly spoon or brush a layer of the glaze all over the cake. Allow the first layer of glaze to sink in, then repeat with the rest of the glaze.
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Garnish the warm, freshly-glazed cake with more lemon zest and allow the cake to cool completely before cutting.
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If making ahead: Cover cake completely and store at room temperature overnight or up to two days. Refrigerate if keeping longer.
Recipe Notes
*ZEST: Depending on the type of mixer you use, fresh lemon zest can get wrapped up in beater(s).If that happens, make sure to scrape the zest from the beaters and stir it all into the batter.
*BAKING TIME: Every oven bakes differently, so always use suggested baking times as a guideline. Check (and turn) the cake after about 30 minutes, and estimate how much more baking time is needed. A toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake will come out clean when done.
Recipe adapted from King Arthur Baking Company.