So this was done before my apartment got flooded, while i was up @ my sister's house. it's always fun to invade someone else's kitchen and use their gadgets.
i pulled this recipe from america's test kitchen, and it was pretty tasty--definitely worth doing again and again as a simple snack, or a nice little 'with tea/coffee' after dinner dessert for your family and friends. The zest in the cake compliments the tangy syrup that coats the cake. if you like a lemon zing, then you'll love it.
::gathering my raw materials::
Ingredients
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups cake flour (6 ounces), plus 1 tablespoon for dusting pan --i substituted cornstarch and all purpose flour for cake flour--1/4 cup cornstarch to 3/4 cup all purpose yields about 2 cups of cake flour.
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest plus 2 teaspoons juice from 2 medium lemons
4 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Lemon Glaze (Optional)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice , from 1 or 2 medium lemons
Poppy seeds (totally optional)
Directions:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with 1 tablespoon softened butter; dust with 1 tablespoon cake flour, tapping out excess. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In glass measuring cup or microwave-safe bowl, microwave butter, covered with plastic wrap, at full power until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. (Alternatively, melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat.) Whisk melted butter thoroughly to reincorporate any separated milk solids.
In food processor (or a blender!), process sugar and zest until combined, about five 1-second pulses.
Add lemon juice, eggs, and vanilla; process until combined, about 5 seconds. With machine running, add melted butter through feed tube in steady stream (this should take about 20 seconds).
Transfer mixture to large bowl. Sift flour mixture over eggs in three steps, whisking gently after each addition until just combined. Add poppy seeds, if desired.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 15 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and continue to bake until deep golden brown and skewer inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking time. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto wire rack.
If using lemon glaze, while cake is cooling in pan, bring sugar and lemon juice to boil in small nonreactive saucepan, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened slightly, about 2 minutes.
After turning cake onto wire rack, poke the cake's top and sides with a toothpick and brush on Lemon Glaze
Cool to room temperature, at least 1 hour. Enjoy!
