I appear to be on an Ina Garten loop. Part of the problem is her new book, Cook Like a Pro, is out and I’m obsessed. I own each and every one of her cookbooks and I refuse to tell you how often I get them off the shelf and read through them. I pick up a new idea each and every time.
Since I am unable to entertain like Ina, I promise I won’t be putting every recipe on the blog. I live on the West Coast and we do not entertain like they do on the East Coast. We are much more relaxed about all gatherings. But as you know we love coffee and this is the perfect go-to for drop in coffee company.
We do love a sweet treat. This cake is everything I want in a dessert. It’s not too sweet and it’s incredible versatile. I try to always keep a couple in the freezer just in case someone drops in and I get to have a party. It does help to own a lemon tree or 2, but not an option here in western Washington. This is the reason her cakes are so lemony. Num!
½ pound room temperature butter
2 ½ cups sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup grated lemon zest, approximately 6 lemons
3 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream butter and 2 cups sugar approximately 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Add zest. Combine flour, baking powder, soda, and salt, set aside. Combine ¼ cup lemon juice, buttermilk and vanilla. Add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately to creamed butter beginning and ending with flour mixture. Divide evenly between 2 loaf pans (8 1/2 x 4 x 2 ½) greased. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. When cakes have cooled for 10 minutes, spoon on glace.
Glaze:
Cook ½ cup sugar and ½ cup lemon juice in saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves.
* From the Recipe Box:
This recipe is from my girl, Ina Garten. She is the queen of all things lemon.
This cake won the neighborhood Lemon Loaf Cake Challenge, even beating out Mom’s Lemon Tea Cake recipe.
Cake freezes beautifully. Great basic recipe.
and remember what Robert Munsch said: I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be. Big kiss, Lynn (I love this quote!)
From the Recipe Box 