Easy Fluffy Iced Lemon Loaf Cake
Lemon is one of those flavors that’s hard to get tired of. That’s because it’s always refreshing. Researchers have even found that just the smell of lemons makes people feel happy, relaxed and energized. Is it any wonder that iced lemon loaves are so popular.
Loaf cakes are straight forward and simple, however many things can go wrong. The wrong ratio of ingredients can lead to a sunken, dense and rubbery cake. For this cake I wanted a simple method that anyone could handle without the need for a stand mixer.
I went with the two stage mixing method. This cousin of the muffin method, used for cakes with higher amounts of sugar, eggs and fat, involves combining all of the dry ingredients with half of the wet ingredients and beating until smooth before adding the rest of the wet ingredients in three increments. The simplicity of this method is great for new bakers or anyone who wants to make a cake fast. The key to this method is low protein or cake flour, which prevents the cake from becoming tough and allows it to rise beautifully. Since many people don’t have cake flour on hand, I designed this recipe around a combination of all purpose flour, balanced with zero protein cornstarch. Because of the careful balance of proteins in the flour and cornstarch I strongly recommend you weight your ingredients by grams. Baking is a precise science and weighing your ingredients will give you the best results.
The resulting cake rises beautifully to an even amber brown top hiding a pale fluffy interior. The lemon flavor balances acidity and aroma with the combination of zest, juice and extract. All that’s left is a sweet vanilla spiked glaze to finish off this rich, but refreshing cake!
Click here to watch the video version of this recipe!
Directions:
Spray a 9 ¼” x 5 ¼” x 2 ¾” standard metal loaf pan, with non-stick cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment and spray top of parchment again.
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Place whole eggs still in shells, in a bowl of hot tap water to warm.
Shift together flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar into a large bowl. Stir with whisk to make sure all dry ingredients are evenly mixed.
In a separate medium bowl or 8 cup measuring cup, whisk together melted butter and canola oil. Pat eggs dry. Crack each egg into a small bowl and check quality before adding to butter and canola oil mixture. Whisk thoroughly. Add milk, vanilla extract, lemon extract, lemon zest and lemon juice. Whisk thoroughly until mixture is homogenous.
Add 1 1/2 cups of the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Using a handheld mixer, beat on low to medium-low speed for 2 minutes until mixture is just smooth.
Add another ½ cup of the wet mixture to the batter and beat for 30 seconds to 1 minute until incorporated. Add a second ½ cup of the wet mixture and repeat. Add final ½ cup (or remaining) wet mixture and beat for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the batter is smooth. Do not over mix!
Scrap bottom of bowl with silicone spatula to be sure no dry pockets of flour remain. Transfer to prepared loaf pan. Gently tap pan on counter 2-3 times and run a butter knife through the batter to release any large air bubbles.
Place pan in the center of your preheated oven for 60 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a couple crumbs attached. Internal temperature should register between 195°-200° F on an instant read thermometer.
Transfer pan to cooling rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen sides if necessary and turn out onto cooling rack. Do not remove parchment and flip over so top side is right side up again. Cool completely before glazing.
For Glaze:
Combine all ingredients for glaze in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Cover tightly with plastic wrap until ready to use. Spoon over cooled cake and use small offset spatula or knife to cover sides. Glaze will smooth out as it sits and hardens.
Let glaze set and develop hard crust (about 30-45 minutes) before slicing and serving for best appearance.
There is milk in this glaze so glazed cake must be store wrapped in the refrigerator. Let cake come to room temperature before enjoying!
(Makes 1 Loaf Cake)
Ingredients:
180 grams (1½ cups) All Purpose Flour
150 grams (1 cup + 3 Tbsp) Cornstarch
½ tsp Table Salt
2 ¼ tsp Baking Powder
¼ tsp Baking Soda
350 grams (about 1 ½ cups) Sugar
7 Tbsp (98 grams) Salted Butter, melted and cooled to room temperature.
7 Tbsp (102 grams) Canola Oil
90 grams (⅓ cup + 2tsp) Milk
4 Large Eggs
The Grated Zest of 2 Large Lemons (about 10-12 grams)
60 grams (¼ cup) Fresh Lemon Juice
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 tsp Lemon Extract
Vanilla Bean Glaze
240 grams (About 2 cups) Powdered Sugar
⅛ tsp Table Salt
2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
¼ tsp Vanilla Extract
3 Tbsp Milk
Lemon is one of those flavors that’s hard to get tired of. That’s because it’s always refreshing. Researchers have even found that just the smell of lemons makes people feel happy, relaxed and energized. Is it any wonder that iced lemon loaves are so popular.
Loaf cakes are straight forward and simple, however many things can go wrong. The wrong ratio of ingredients can lead to a sunken, dense and rubbery cake. For this cake I wanted a simple method that anyone could handle without the need for a stand mixer.
I went with the two stage mixing method. This cousin of the muffin method, used for cakes with higher amounts of sugar, eggs and fat, involves combining all of the dry ingredients with half of the wet ingredients and beating until smooth before adding the rest of the wet ingredients in three increments. The simplicity of this method is great for new bakers or anyone who wants to make a cake fast. The key to this method is low protein or cake flour, which prevents the cake from becoming tough and allows it to rise beautifully. Since many people don’t have cake flour on hand, I designed this recipe around a combination of all purpose flour, balanced with zero protein cornstarch. Because of the careful balance of proteins in the flour and cornstarch I strongly recommend you weight your ingredients by grams. Baking is a precise science and weighing your ingredients will give you the best results.
The resulting cake rises beautifully to an even amber brown top hiding a pale fluffy interior. The lemon flavor balances acidity and aroma with the combination of zest, juice and extract. All that’s left is a sweet vanilla spiked glaze to finish off this rich, but refreshing cake!
Click here to watch the video version of this recipe!
Recommended Recipes or Posts
Soft Iced Lemon Cookies
Sour Cream Blueberry Crumb Cake