Lemon Bundt Cake

   
This past weekend I had my weekend all plan out.  Go to the consignment sale with friends, go house shopping, clean guest room, take kids to the park, and of course bake.  Ha! Two of those things happened.  I had a blast with my friends at consignment sale and I baked.  My kids had their little friends over so they did not even pay me any attention.  I was too humid me to go house shopping.  I got in my lazy zone, and just watched movies and surf clothing stores online. 

Even though I baked my baking did not happen until quarter to 12 am the next day.  My original plan was to bake a chocolate dessert.  But for some reason somebody used my heavy cream in their pasta dish.  Hmm. 

  So what does a gal do, just improvise.  I made this wonderful Lemon Bundt cake.  It is not overpowering sweet, but the lemon taste just gives that wonderful warmth feeling.  This cake is moist and tender. 


Lemon Bundt Cake ( adapted from Cook's Illustrated )

Ingredients

Cake

3 lemons, zest grated and saved, then juiced for 3 tablespoons juice

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 large egg yolk, room temperature

2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

2cups sugar (14 ounces)

 

Glaze

 

2 - 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tblsp buttermilk

2 cups confectioners' sugar

 

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray with flour (alternatively, brush pan with mixture of 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon melted butter). Mince lemon zest to fine paste (you should have about 2 tablespoons). Combine zest and lemon juice in small bowl; set aside to soften, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Combine lemon juice mixture, vanilla, and buttermilk in medium bowl. In small bowl, gently whisk eggs and yolk to combine. In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, cream butter and sugar at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes; scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Reduce to medium speed and add half of eggs, mixing until incorporated, about 15 seconds. Repeat with remaining eggs; scrape down bowl again. Reduce to low speed; add about one-third of flour mixture, followed by half of buttermilk mixture, mixing until just incorporated after each addition (about 5 seconds). Repeat using half of remaining flour mixture and all of remaining buttermilk mixture. Scrape bowl and add remaining flour mixture; mix at medium-low speed until batter is thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Remove bowl from mixer and fold batter once or twice with rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour. Scrape into prepared pan.
3. Bake until top is golden brown and wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into center comes out with no crumbs attached, 45 to 50 minutes.
4. While cake is baking, whisk 2 tablespoons lemon juice, buttermilk, and confectioners' sugar until smooth, adding more lemon juice gradually as needed until glaze is thick but still pourable (mixture should leave faint trail across bottom of mixing bowl when drizzled from whisk). Cool cake in pan on wire rack set over baking sheet for 10 minutes, then invert cake directly onto rack. Pour half of glaze over warm cake and let cool for 1 hour; pour remaining glaze evenly over top of cake and continue to cool to room temperature, at least 2 hours. Cut into slices and serve.