Lemon Cake

A simple but good lemony cake. This cake uses cake flour which isn't the same thing as all-purpose flour. Source: Bon Appetit Oct 1984.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Yields: 1 cake

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups cake flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
• 3⁄4 cup sugar, plus
• 2  tablespoons sugar
• 2  tablespoons lemon peel, grated
• 3  large eggs
• 3⁄4 cup butter, cut into 6 pieces, room temperature
• 1⁄2 cup powdered sugar
• 3  tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Butter a loaf pan (6-cup); set aside.
3. Using a food processor and the steel knife, combine first 3 ingredients (flour - salt) and process for 3 seconds. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
4. Using the food processor and same steel knife process sugar and lemon peel until peel is minced (20 seconds).
5. Add eggs and process one minute, scrapping down work bowl. Add butter and process one more minute.
6. Spoon reserved dry ingredients to work bowl and process using 2 on/off turns. Run spatula along sides to incorporate all dry ingredients and process using 1 or 2 on/off turns.
7. Transfer to prepared pan.
8. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes clean.
9. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and insert onto rack, turning right side up.
10. To make icing, mix powedered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Brush on top and sides of hot cake.
11. Cool completely.
12. Cake can be prepared 3 days ahead of time, wrapped tightly and stored at room temperature or can be frozen.