Bake, Run, Live

I love reading through cookbooks. I can easily get lost in a cookbook. And if there are pictures- man, that’s even better! To be able to see the beautiful results of a recipe, sometimes that is what pushes me over the edge to the land of “I must make this”!!

So now I have just rambled on about cookbooks and pictures, and yet the Lemon Loaf Cake that I made, didn’t have a picture in the cookbook.  (sorry- my brain doesn’t always follow a straight line or thought!) The recipe is part of the Baking with Julia cookbook and while there are pictures in the book, they don’t cover all the recipes (such as this one). This recipe drew me in because it is easy to prepare and there are 2 men in my life that really like lemon desserts!

Lemon Loaf Cake
Adapted from this recipe
Makes 1, 9 x 5 inch loaf
Prep time: 10 minutes    Baking time: 50-60 minutes

Lemon Loaf batter:
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar
Pinch of salt
Grated zest of 3 lemons
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature
5 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

Lemon simple syrup:
Juice of 1 lemon
Equal amount sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan- set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until just combined. Whisk in the salt and lemon zest. Sift the baking powder and cake flour into the egg mixture and whisk just until the flour is incorporated. Whisk in the heavy cream, then gently fold in the melted butter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the top cracks a little and the toothpick test comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and sugar (I got about 1 tablespoon of juice from one lemon, so I used 1 tablespoon of sugar). Stir gently, then microwave for 15 seconds. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Spoon the lemon sugar syrup over the top of the loaf cake. Let the cake cool completely. Enjoy!

Note: This loaf cake should be eaten within one or two days of making it. After that, it would be best used in a bread pudding, as it seems to dry out quickly- even when well wrapped.

Lemon juice and sugar

Made with love, not calories!