Lemon Bundt Cake

*  Check this out! Lisa over at Sweet as Sugar Cookies invited me to post this on her Sweets for Saturday.  http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com/2011/03/sweets-for-saturday-7.html


While lemon cake may be viewed as a summer treat, I feel that towards the end of winter we all need some summery flavors to remind us that the sun will come back and we won't be stuck inside all day. Besides, I love lemons. They are such a versatile and cheap ingredient that's full of huge flavor. While I was looking for recipes to try out the new bundt ban that I got for Christmas (thanks Sherrie!), I found a lemon cornmeal cake that failed miserably, and then I found this amazing little cake. It is bursting with lemon flavor- due to a double layer of an intensely lemon glaze and adding the zest to the lemon juice before it goes in the cake to bring out more lemon flavor. 


Lemon Bundt Cake
(Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated by Tortatebukura's blog)
Zest from 3 lemons (about 2 tablespoons)
3 tablespoons  lemon juice
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (15 ounces)
1teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
3 large eggs , at room temperature
1 large egg yolk , at room temperature
18 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 1/4 sticks), at room temperature
2 cups sugar (14 ounces)

Glaze
3  tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon buttermilk
2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray and dust with flour

Combine zest and lemon juice in small bowl; set aside to soften, 10 to 15 minutes.

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 (or you can use a hand mixer and a large bowl), 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.

Bake until top is golden brown and wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into center comes out with no crumbs attached, 45 to 50 minutes.

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.

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.