Ingredients

Scale

For the Cake:

6–3/4 oz. (1 ½ cups) all-purpose unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 oz. (½ cup) unsalted butter, slightly soft
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup buttermilk
Zest of 1 lemon, finely chopped or grated

For the glaze:

Juice of 1 lemon
1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
A few drops of lemon oil or the zest of one lemon (optional)

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Prepare the baking pan– Spray a loaf pan that’s about 8x5x3 inches with a nonstick coating.
Make the cake- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well blended. You can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (which is what I use or you can use a hand mixer). Combine the sugar and butter in the mixing bowl and beat it on medium speed until it’s pale and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating until blended before adding the next one.
With the mixer on lowest setting, add about one-third of the flour and mix until almost combined. Then add half the buttermilk and mix until just combined. Repeat with another third of flour, and then the last half of the buttermilk, ending with the last third of the flour plus the lemon zest.
Mix until almost all of the flour is incorporated and then turn the mixer off. Use a stiff rubber spatula and scrape around the side and bottom of the bowl to ensure all of the flour is mixed into the batter.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out with some wet crumbs, about 50-60 minutes. Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes. Use this time to make the glaze.
Make the glaze-Combine the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a bowl and mix with a fork until it is completely smooth. It will be thick like toothpaste.
Glaze the cake-Carefully tip the loaf pan, tapping it to release the cake. Put the cake on a cooling rack. It is a good idea to put a piece of parchment or a baking sheet under the cake to catch any dripping glaze. Pour the glaze slowly over the cake. You can go over it again with the glaze if you missed some spots but DO NOT use any utensils to touch the glaze because it will mar the surface of the glaze. Let the heat of the cake melt the glaze.
Cool the cake completely on a rack before serving. The glaze will harden as the cake cools.

Notes

*This cake is very easy to double. You will need to increase the baking time by about 10-15 minutes.

*You can freeze this cake if desired, wrapped in aluminum and tucked into a ziptop bag. I prefer to freeze it whole but you can also slice and freeze the slices. The glaze gets a little sticky as it defrosts but still delicious.

Keywords: spring, citrus, sweets, brunch, cake, lemon