(from Having Tea, by Tricia Foley)
Jump to Recipe1 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. granulated sugar
Grated rind of 2 lemons
1 T. lemon juice
1 c. sour cream
2 t. vanilla extract
6 egg whites
Pinch of salt
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1 c. blanched almonds, finely chopped
Syrup: ¼ c. lemon juice
¼ c. water
½ c. brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a Bundt pan or 10-inch loaf pan.
In a bowl, cream the butter with ½ c. sugar. Beat in the lemon rind, lemon juice, sour cream, and vanilla.
In another bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff. Gradually beat in the remaining ½ c. sugar.
In a third bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder. Stir in the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, along with a third of the egg whites. Gently add the rest of the egg whites and stir until thoroughly folded in. Mix in the almonds.
Carefully pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hr. and 10 mins. or until a toothpick comes out clean when tested in the center. To make a syrup, combine the lemon juice, water, and brown sugar in a pan and cook, stirring over low heat, until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Immediately upon removing the cake from the oven, prick the top with a long-tined fork or thin skewer and pour the lemon juice-brown sugar syrup all over the top to cover it completely. Cool in the pan to let the tangy syrup soak in.
(NB: I used Meyer lemons for the grated lemon rind and juice; I ground the almonds in a food processor until they were finely chopped – but not until they were a paste! I’ve also done this cake using almond meal, which is even less labor intensive. I made the syrup first and chilled it in the refrigerator while preparing and baking the cake; I poured cold syrup over the hot cake.)
Sugar-glazed Lemon Cake
Equipment
- 1 standing mixer
Ingredients
- 1 c. unsalted butter
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- 2 lemons, grated rind
- 1 T. lemon juice
- 1 c. sour cream
- 2 t. vanilla extract
- 6 egg whites
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 t. baking powder
- 1 c. blanched almonds, finely chopped, or almond flour
- ¼ c. lemon juice
- ¼ c. water
- ½ c. brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Grease a 10-inch loaf pan, line the pan with parchment paper, and grease and flour the parchment paper..
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter with ½ c. granulated sugar.
- Beat in the lemon rind, 1 T. lemon juice, sour cream, and vanilla.
- In another bowl, beat the egg whites with salt until stiff.
- Gradually beat the remaining ½ c. granulated sugar into the egg whites
- In a third bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, along with a third of the egg white mixture.
- Gently add the rest of the egg whites and stir until thoroughly folded in.
- Gently mix in the finely chopped almonds (or almond flour).
- Carefully pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 1 hr. and 10 mins. or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Make a syrup by combining ¼ c. lemon juice, water, and brown sugar in a sauce pan.
- Cook saucepan ingredients over low heat, until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Immediately upon removing the cake form the oven, prick the top with a long-tined fork or thin skewer.
- Pour the lemon juice-brown sugar syrup all over the top of the cake to cover it completely.
- Cool in the pan to let the tangy syrup soak in.
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