Friday, July 8, 2011

When Life Gives You Meyer Lemons, Make THIS Meyer Lemon Cake!

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Some of you might know that I get unlimited supply of Meyer Lemons, all year around.  If you’ve missed that post, click here to read more.  Yes, I’m a very lucky girl.  Smile If you haven’t try a Meyer Lemon before, you’ve got to hunt down this fruit for a taste test.  Meyer Lemon is a cross between a true lemon and either a mandarin or common orange.  The skin is fragrant and thin.  The color is a deep yellow with a slight orange tint when ripe. Meyer lemon has a sweeter, less acidic flavor than the more common lemon.

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I truly love the fragrant from the skin.  Therefore, I used a lot of zest in this recipe.  Oh boy, this was such a lovely cake.  It’s sweet, it’s tangy, it’s full of the Meyer lemon fragrant.  This cake was also fluffy and moist.  It probably was the moistest cake I’ve ever tasted.  Why? Because when the cake was done baking, I drizzled a Meyer lemon syrup all over it before icing it.  Sounds irresistible? It truly was.


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When life gives you Meyer lemons, it’s the sweetest deal!  There are many ways to enjoy Meyer lemons besides making this cake and a lemonade.  Here are a few of my favorite recipes, Candied Meyer Lemons, Meyer Lemon and Herb Vinaigrette, Meyer Lemon Macarons, Meyer Lemon and Strawberry Mousse Verrines, and Berries-Kiwi, Meyer Lemon and Basil Sorbet.

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Take a closed up look of the inside of this cake below.  You can totally see how moist it was.  With all the zest showing through each bite….hm….it truly was the sweetest way to end a meal.

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I'm sharing this recipe with Holiday Recipe Exchange.  Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Kerrygold.



Meyer Lemon Cake:  Printable Recipe
Yield: 1(8-inch) loaf



For the Cake:
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
Zest of 3 Meyer Lemons
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Meyer Lemon Syrup:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Meyer Lemon Juice

For the Meyer Lemon Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice


To Prepare the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan.  Line the pan with parchment paper and allow the excess to hang over the sides.

Cream the butter sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, followed by the lemon zest.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. In another bowl, combine lemon juice, the heavy cream, and vanilla. Add the flour and cream mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Pour the batter into the loaf pan, smooth the top, and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a cake tester/toothpick comes out clean.

To Prepare the Meyer Lemon Syrup:
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and Meyer lemon juice and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves.

When the cake is done, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and set it on a rack over a tray lined with foil (for easy clean up).  With a toothpick, prick holes all over the cake.  Spoon the Meyer lemon syrup over pricked cake.  Let the cake cool completely.

To Prepare the Meyer Lemon glaze:
In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and the Meyer lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle over the tops of the cake and allow the glaze to drip off the sides.

This recipes is linked to:

Melt in your mouth Monday
On the Menu Monday
Tuesday Night Supper Club

52 comments:

  1. Thank you for all the lemon recipes! We just bought a home in southern CA with a VERY prolific lemon tree. I don't know if they're Meyer lemons, but they have been working well for cooking so far. I'll have to give this cake (and some of the other recipes you linked to) a try!

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  2. Looks beautiful. I will have to try a Meyers Lemon some time :)

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    1. You wont forget it. They are bigger and sweeter (less bitter in the skin also) than regular lemons.

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  3. Looks beautiful, wish I had a piece now:@)

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  4. I love lemons! Just made a batch of lemon curd! Your cake looks delicious, and I can imagine the fragrance of the lemon in each bite! Thanks for sharing!

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  5. Oh! Amy! EVERYthing you share here looks delicious! (um...wish that I lived near you...of course, I wouldn't be a total neighbor pest :o) but seriously! wow! I love the food creations you share!

    Blessings & Aloha!
    We have been out of town, so am just catching up with my thank you visits (I didnt even get my “one post a week” post up this week). Thank you so, so much for stopping by my place last week!

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  6. This looks beautiful and absolutely amazing. I need a slice right now with my coffee. I love lemony cakes and this is it. Yummy!

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  7. Wow Amy - so glad I found you on this blog! i LOVE lemons - and this looks so beautiful. Can't wait to try it :)

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  8. I love using lemons in my recipes.

    Thanks for sharing Amy... this looks so good.

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  9. I have never had a Meyer lemon before but I am dying to try one! This is absolutely gorgeous and I'm certain it tastes as decadent as it looks :)

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  10. I love the cake and I love your plates!!!!

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  11. Mmm, that looks so good and I love lemony cakes, or anything citrus. I love the glaze running down the sides, it looks so nice :D

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  12. This looks so good! I love lemony treats- especially in the summertime- but I can only get Meyer lemons for a short time in the spring. The rest of the year I have to make do with regular lemons. I bet this would still be yummy though! :)

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  13. What gorgeous images! I love the way you have decorated it! Plus I will take your recommendation and make this cake..I've been feeling like lemon cake for a while now.

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  14. @ Betty: Guess I'm real lucky then. My in-law's Meyer Lemon trees have lemons all year round. Yes, I bet these would still be lovely with regular lemons. I haven't try that yet. Please let me know how it goes if you make it. :)

    @ Brittany: I'm sure you'll enjoy this cake as much as I do. Let me know how it turns out after you try the recipe. :)

    Thank you all for your sweet comments and have a wonderful weekend.

    Amy

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  15. I just posted my favourite lemon drizzle cake recipe but yours looks equally as gorgeous (well it LOOKS a lot more gorgeous, mine is rather unphotogenic!) I have never had the pleasure of trying meyer lemons, hopefully one day i will get my mitts on some and give your recipe a try :) Reallyreally lovely photos and a delicious looking cake too

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  16. Oooo...this is simply irresistible! I love meyer lemon flavour in anything. Yummm...
    Thanks for sharing.
    Kristy

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  17. Meyers are the brr st, a bbs I am drooling!

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  18. Seu blog é um encanto com esses pratos deliciosos.
    Abraços.

    Silmara

    www.casaefogao.blogspot.com


    His blog is a delight with these delicious dishes.
    Hugs.

    Silmara

    www.casaefogao.blogspot.com

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  19. Amy,
    Your Lemon Cake looks awesome! I love your photos! We have such a short growing season here in MA. You're so lucky! :)

    Thanks for linking up to Melt in Your Mouth Monday!

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  20. Amy your lemon recipes looks stunning! I am happy to find and follow your lovely blog!

    Veronica
    www.tasselsandtwigs.blogspot.com

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  21. That looks so good my mouth is watering looking at the pictures. Great job.

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  22. Amy, Your pictures look good enough to eat! What a gorgeous dessert. I am having book club at my home on Sunday and I'll make this. My girl's will just love it!
    Thank you for bringing your lemon confection to ON THE MENU MONDAY! Such a sweet treat.
    Yvonne

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  23. That cake is beautiful! Thanks for the other great recipes too. Have a great day.

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  24. Beautiful and looks delish. Love your blog Amy!

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  25. I love lemon recipes and this one looks delicious! I hope I can find some Meyer lemons here - they're not always available.

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  26. Love this! My mouth is watering already! This is my first time here, love your blog. Following you to keep up with your posts!

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  27. Mmm! The meyer lemon glaze looks amazing (as does the cake!)

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  28. Amy, this is making my mouth water! It looks delicious and there is something so refreshing about meyer lemons...beautiful as always!!!

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  29. Wish life gives me Meyer lemons soon :) The cake is hard to resist!

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  30. that cake is gorgeous! not to mention, my mouth just started watering uncontrollably....we have a meyer lemon tree that is a total bust...9 lemons every other year. i am a bit envious of your bounty! thank you for sharing this amazing cake with tuesday night supper club.

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  31. I have plenty of little green orbs on my Meyer lemon tree as I type. Can't wait till they turn bright yellow and ripe in the winter. Then, I'll be baking up a storm like you did. ;)

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  32. My mouth is watering from just the pictures. Can you replace the lemons with oranges? My boyfriend's parents have about 9 orange trees that are about to ripen.

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  33. @ Cheap Furniture Burbank: You can definitely substitute with oranges. However, you probably need to cut down on the sugar as oranges are much sweeter than Meyer lemons.

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  34. This will be a must for me to prepare now that lemons are in high season! How did I miss this post? My bad!

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    1. I'm glad you found this recipe, it's the perfect timing! ;) Oh yeah, this is a "must try"! It's been my "go to" recipe for gatherings and gift giving.

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  35. Wow that cake looks amazing. I'm not sure exactly where I can get my hands on some Meyer lemons, I'll definitely have to keep an eye out for them. In the meantime, I think I'll have to try this recipe with regular lemons lol

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  36. this looks wonderful, your pics are extra enticing~

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  37. My in laws have a Meyer lemon tree and recently gave us a huge bag full. Needless to say I'm on my second loaf this week! The Meyer lemons really have a distinct taste. They are slightly sweeter than other lemons. Fantastic recipe! It was so moist and delicious!

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    1. Thank you for trying my recipe and I'm so glad you enjoyed it. This is one of my favorite loaf cake recipes and I've been making this many times as well. :) I really appreciate that you left a comment to let me know.

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  38. I have a meyers and regular lemon tree, the meyers has lemons year round, they are my favorite, the cake is in the oven and will go great with watching the Giants beat Detroit tonight.

    Cheryl in Santa Cruz CA

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  39. I'm new to baking... I don't have a loaf pan, will a bundt pan work for this recipe.?

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  40. I'm new to baking... I don't have a loaf pan, will a bundt pan work for this recipe.?

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    1. Yes, you can definitely use a bundt pan for this cake. However, the volume/capacity of a bundt pan is much bigger than this loaf pan, you might need to double the recipe in order to fill the bundt pan properly. And the bake time would probably be different as well. Since I haven't bake this cake in a bundt pan before, I won't be able to tell you the approximate bake time. I recommend you to try baking this in those disposable foil loaf pan (much cheaper) if you don't have a regular one. Those are good for giving out as holiday baking gifts too! ;) Just an idea. And if you like it after you've try this recipe, you can then consider investing in a regular load pan. Hope you like my suggestion. Have fun baking.

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    2. Thanks so much. I'll try the disposable pan asap. I cant wait to try this. This is my first experience with Meyer lemons. I've only heard great things about them and was so excited to see them here in Atlanta.

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  41. I just bought my first bag of Myer Lemons and made this lemon bread. OMG - it is beyond awesome and so, so moist!! I don't think Myers Lemon are availale very long here in PA, so need to buy a few more bags, make many of this recipe and freeze them. It felt like "sunshine" on my tongue on this cold snowy day.

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    1. Thank you for stopping by to let me know that you love this cake. It's definitely one of my family's favorite. What a great idea to make extra and freeze up the cakes. As this is the Meyer Lemon season now, I'll post a few more Meyer Lemon recipe soon on my blog. I just got some from my In-Law's garden. Stay tuned for the recipes. ;) And I agree, it feels like sunshine on my tongue when I eat this cake.

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  42. Made this and it tasted amaze...but my cake fell in the middle :-(

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    1. Thank you for trying the recipe. Hm...I make this cake from time to time and that didn't happen to me. I'm wondering why too. Glad it still tasted amazing. My family loves this cake. :) Hope your next try will come out beautifully.

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  43. I just made this cake, and it's delicious! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe.

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    1. Thank you so much for trying the recipe. I'm glad that you love the cake. :) That really makes my day. Enjoy!

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