Lemon Bundt Cake

My wife has perfected this recipe for a lemon bundt cake.  It’s a great cake with or without the lemon flavoring, so if you don’t care for lemon or just need a change of pace, leave it out.  Try this classic cake out and let us know how you like it!

Better With Age
This cake is light and delicious once it cools and is fresh, but as time goes on the cake’s consistency consolidates over time.  This sounds like it wouldn’t be such a great thing, but believe me, it is a good thing.  The cake, as it consolidates, get more moist.  You’ll love as much on the third day as the first, but it’s a different cake on each day.

Lemon Juice
As with everything else we’ve posted, the fresher the ingredients the better the result.  Fresh squeezed lemons and their zests really  make the lemon flavor pop!  However, you can’t always have real lemons.  So if that’s the case, then just use the bottled lemon juice and the flavor will be a bit muted.

Buttermilk Is Better
Buttermilk, as opposed to milk, makes a huge texture difference and is largely responsible for the changing character of the cake with time.  If you don’t want the lemon flavor in the glaze just use regular milk to thin the glaze instead of lemon juice.

Cooling Is Key
This recipe takes patience in the cooling stage.  It’s so difficult, especially for me, to know that there’s a warm, fresh cake in the kitchen and I can’t have any.  That being said, you’re patience will be rewarded.  It’s very important that you let it cool to set the texture and flavor.

The Recipe
Serves 12 to 14

Cake Ingredients:
Grated zest plus 3 tbsp. juice from 3 lemons
3 cups (15 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 large eggs plus 1 large yolk, at room temperature
18 tbsp. (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups (14 oz.) sugar

Glaze Ingredients:
2-3 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. buttermilk
2 cups (8 oz.) confectioner’s sugar

Instructions:

Cake
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray bundt pan with non-stick baking spray with flour
3. Mince lemon zest to a fine paste (you should have about 2 tbsp.)
4. Combine lemon juice and zest in a small bowl, set aside to soften about 10-15 minutes.
5. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
6. Combine lemon juice mixture, vanilla and buttermilk in medium bowl.
7. In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle beater, cream butter and sugar at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
8. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
9. Reduce to medium speed and add 1/2 of the eggs, mixing until incorporated.
10. Repeat with the remaining eggs, scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
11. Reduce to low speed and add about 1/3 of flour mixture followed by 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture mixing until just incorporated (about 5 seconds).
12. Repeat using half of the remaining flour mixture and all of the remaining buttermilk mixture.
13. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the remaining flour mixture.
14. Mix at medium-low speed until the batter is thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds.
15. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold the batter once or twice with a rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour.
16. Scrape into prepared pan.
17. Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 45-50 minutes.

Glaze
1. Whisk 2 tbsp. of the lemon juice, buttermilk and confectioner’s sugar until smooth, adding more lemon juice gradually as needed until glaze is thick, but pourable.
2. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire cool rack for 10 minutes, then invert the cake directly onto the rack.
3. Pour half of the glaze over the warm cake and let cool for 1 hour.
4. Pour remaining glaze evenly over the top of the cake and continue to cool to room temperature, at least 2 hours.
5. Cut into slices and serve.

It’s so good, we couldn’t wait to cut into it!

This is a great cake to take to a party or to enjoy at home!  Try it out and let us know what you think!

- The Fortunate Foodie