Love Lemons? In the mood to eat a sweet and tangy cake? Then this is the one for you. With lots of lemon flavor, this simple loaf cake is one of the perfect summer afternoon cakes to be enjoyed with a cup of tea.
I can enjoy lemons any time of the year. They taste so refreshing. Isn't it? and a cake with lemony flavor? why not! Madeira Cake is a traditional English cake flavored with lemons.
As I've mentioned, this is a very basic cake with no fancy icing or frosting. The crack on top is kind of a characteristic of this cake though the crack on my cake is somewhat deeper I think. You can enjoy a slice of it either on its own or maybe with a dollop of Ice cream like Vanilla Bean or Strawberry. The cake will also taste good spread with a fruit sauce or syrup.
The texture of this cake is not fluffy rather, a little on the denser side but is still quite light. Caster sugar is sprinkled on the surface of the cake just before baking giving it a crunchy top.
With both lemon juice and lemon zest added to the batter, the cake bursts with lemon flavor without being overpowering. But of course, you can reduce the quantity of lemon juice if you want to. You can also add poppy seeds to the batter for a lemon and poppy seed flavor.
Recipe Source: Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess.
Makes one 9 1/4 * 5 1/4 inch loaf cake.
Ingredients
210 grams / 7.5 ounces self-raising flour
90 grams / 3 ounces plain flour
240 grams / 8.5 ounces unsalted butter at room temperature
200 grams / 7 ounces caster sugar or superfine sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon (or of 4 regular sized Indian lemons)
3 large eggs at room temperature
Method
Grease and line a 9 1/4 * 5 1/4 inch loaf cake. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C. Sieve together both the flours in a bowl.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and on medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugar until light, fluffy and creamy. Add the lemon zest.
Add the eggs one at a time with a tablespoon flour between each addition.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the rest of the flour. Add the lemon juice.
Pour the batter into the greased and lined loaf tin. Sprinkle with caster sugar and bake in the oven until a cake tester or a wooden skewer comes out with a few dry crumbs attached to it.
Keep the tin on a wire rack to cool completely. Remove the cake and enjoy the slices.
Storage Suggestions: This cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for upto a day or in the refrigerator for upto 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Happy Baking!!!
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