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Lemon Bundt Cake This recipe comes from Cooks
Illustrated magazine, January 2006. I've decided I agree with those cooks who claim that measuring dry ingredients by weight is more accurate (or at least repeatable) than by volume.
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Ingredients:
2 tablespoons
grated lemon zest (2-3 lemons), finely chopped,
3 tablespoons lemon juice
15 ounces
(3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter -- at room
temperature
14 ounces sugar
Glaze:
6 ounces
confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon buttermilk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
1. Spray 12-cup Bundt pan with PAM + Flour.
2. Mince lemon zest to a fine paste. Combine zest with lemon juice and set aside in a small bowl for 15 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. In a stand mixer (e.g. KitchenAid) cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy -- about 3 minutes. Add half the eggs and mix until incorporated. Repeat with remaining eggs and yolk. Scrap down bowl.
5. Add the buttermilk and vanilla extract to the lemon zest and juice. Mix.
6. Add 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until throughly combined.
7. Add 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture to the mixer and mix on low speed until throughly combined.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7.
9. Remove bowl from mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrap down the sides of the bowl and fold together any remaining flour. Scrap into prepared pan.
10. Bake until top is golden brown and a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out with no crumbs attached, about 45-50 minutes.
While the cake is baking, whisk the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl. The mixture should be thick, but just barely pourable. Add more lemon juice as necessary to get the necessary consistency.
Once the cake is removed from the oven, set the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes so the cake will settle properly. Now invert the cake onto the rack and remove the pan. Slowly pour 1/2 the glaze over the cake. (I like to use a knife to spread the glaze evenly over the surface of the cake -- a very thin frosting layer if you will.)
Let the cake cool for 1 hour and then pour the remaining frosting over the cake. Continue to cool for at least two hours before cutting.
Cover and refrigerate.
NOTE: When you first take this cake out of the refrigerator it may seem rather solid and even a bit uninteresting. But, I microwave each slice a few seconds and it is wonderful!