Very Lemon Loaf
Very Lemon Loaf
This lemon loaf is topped with a thin syrup that's made with lemon juice and granulated sugar. This recipe by Leah Eskin originally appeared in The Chicago Tribune.
Prep Time
45
minutes
Cook Time
1
hour
Servings
10
Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 large or 6 small lemons, scrubbed
- 1 stick unsalted butter (plus about 2 teaspoons for pan), softened
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 whole eggs plus 1 yolk
- 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
Directions
- Finely grate zest from lemons.
- Measure 2 tablespoons zest, and set aside.
- Juice lemons.
- Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
- Drop butter into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- On medium-high speed, beat fluffy, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed, about 1 minute.
- Cascade in 1 cup sugar, still beating; beat fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Slide in eggs and yolk; beat fluffy.
- Beat in ricotta, the 2 tablespoons zest and ¼ cup of the juice.
- Slide in flour mixture; beat on low speed just to combine.
- Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth top.
- Bake until cake is golden brown on top and a toothpick stabbed in the center comes out flecked with crumbs, 55 to 60 minutes.
- Cool, 10 minutes.
- Run a blunt knife around the sides to loosen edges.
- Turn out; set on a rack over a rimmed baking sheet.
- While cake is baking, make glaze.
- Pour remaining ½ cup sugar into a medium saucepan.
- Measure in ¼ cup juice.
- Simmer until sugar has dissolved and syrup thickens a bit, about 3 minutes.
- Brush glaze over top and sides of warm lemon loaf. (You may not use all the glaze.) When cool (or just barely warm), slice and serve.