Zesty Lemon Loaf

Friday, February 19, 2021

“You can choose your friends but not your family.”

People say this often, but I have to admit it’s always confused me a little bit.

First of all, why can’t my friends become my chosen family? Sharing genes and sharing kinship are by no means mutually inclusive. Secondly, can’t your family also be your friends?

Though my siblings and I were originally brought together (and into being) by our parents’ decision to have children, now that we’re living independently of one another, it’s our choice to maintain and extend that relationship into adulthood.

I enjoy spending time with my sister not because we share an X-chromosome, but because she’s the only person I trust enough to go jean shopping with. My brother and I don’t get along because we have the same allele variants, but because he’s my go-to guy for book recommendations and terrible puns. Yes, they’re my siblings, but they’re also my friends.

The people we can’t choose are our siblings’ and friends’ partners, and this is where I’ve really lucked out. Both my brother and sister have chosen wonderful partners for themselves, and I’m so happy to make them part of my chosen family — in much the same way I’ve semi-adopted my roommate’s cat, a comparison that I hope all will feel flattered by, cat included.

Knowing my sister and her boyfriend would be coming by for dinner (a tiny but cherished social gathering during these unusual times), I made Ina Garten’s lemon pound cake for dessert since my sister adores lemon and her partner makes amazing citrus cocktails.

The original recipe makes one bundt cake or two loaves, but I’ve halved it here to make just a single loaf. I leave out the vanilla and go light on the sugar in the cake itself so that the lemon flavor can really sing. This cake, with its glaze and soaking syrup, is perhaps slightly more involved than some of my other go-to bakes, but trust me: it’s worth it. Buttery and bright in flavor, with a crumb both delicate and plush, this is a sweet treat you won’t want to miss out on. It’s delightful as a tea cake, decadent as a dessert, and refreshing enough for a breakfast slice.

Zesty Lemon Loaf (inspired by Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen’s delightful interpretation of my beloved Ina Garten’s lemon pound cake)

Ingredients (for one loaf):

• Scant 1 + 1/4 cups (225 grams) granulated sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 lemons
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 + 1/2 cup (195 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/8 cup (30 mL) fresh lemon juice for cake, plus more for soaking syrup (1/4 cup, or 60 mL) and glaze (a few tablespoons)
• 3/8 cup (half of 3/4 cup, or 87.5 mL) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (optional)
• 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar

Protocol:

1. Position a rack in the middle of your oven, and preheat to 350 F.
2. Prepare your pan! Butter a loaf pan (I believe mine is 9x5, but any standard loaf pan will do), line with parchment paper so that the paper hangs over the two long sides of the pan, then butter and lightly flour the parchment paper, tapping out excess flour.
3. Make the cake! Add 175 grams (scant 1 cup) of granulated sugar to a large bowl if using a hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer if going that route. Zest all four lemons directly into your sugar; rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse, wet sand. This draws out the oil of the lemon and extracts that bright, zesty flavor. Important: save/juice your zested lemons! We’ll need that fresh lemon juice later.
4. Add the butter to your sugar and zest, and cream together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing at medium speed after each addition, until fully combined.
6. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
7. In a liquid measuring cup, combine 1/8 cup (30 mL) fresh lemon juice and buttermilk. Set aside.
8. Returning to your large bowl with the butter and sugar mixture, add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to butter and sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour (i.e., flour, buttermilk, flour, buttermilk, flour).
9. Pour batter into your prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to an hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. Mine took 47 minutes exactly.
10. Make the soaking syrup! Combine remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup (60 mL) fresh lemon juice in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat until sugar dissolves.
11. When the cake is out of the oven, slowly spoon or brush soaking syrup over the top, taking your time to let the warm cake absorb the syrup. Using the parchment paper wings, remove the cake from the pan and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack.
12. Make the glaze! In a bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (optional), and fresh lemon juice, adding the lemon juice 1 tablespoon at a time until glaze is desired consistency. I like mine thick but pourable, so it drizzles down the sides a little when poured over the top of the cooled loaf.

Share with family, chosen or otherwise. (Or keep for yourself — I won’t judge!)

Either way, happy snacking!