Wednesday Bonus: Lemon Loaf

This is something I used to make for my sister-in-law, as she is a big lemon-lover. I prefer this for winter, as a lemon tart can seem just a little chilly right about now. It's lovely warm from the oven, but I think I like it better the next day. Avec butter schmear.

You will need:

1 3/4 c pastry flour (I've used 1 2/3 c all-purpose and it's fine, just not as cake-like)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cardamom (note: if grinding fresh, remove husks and just do seeds, cause nobody likes husk flakes in a nice loaf. no. body. If you haven't had fresh-ground cardamom, you have not lived)
1 large lemon (room temperature)
1/4 c granulated sugar
1/2 c butter (UNsalted), softened
1 c granulated sugar
2 eggs
2/3 c milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

All you need

Preheat oven to 350F. Thoroughly grease a loaf pan and cover the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Grease that too. Grease it right up. Measure the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom into a medium-sized bowl or in a large-ish measuring cup; stir together with a fork. Using a zester or fine grater grate the peel of your lemon and stir it into the flour mixture. Set aside. Squeeze out 3 tablespoons lemon juice and stir with the ¼ cup sugar. Set aside to use as glaze.

Ready to roll

2  Place the butter and 1 cup sugar in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until combined, add in the eggs. Then, gradually, beat in one-third of the flour mixture, followed by ^1/3 cup milk. Repeat, ending with remaining third of flour mixture. I know a lot of recipes that call for milk can result in a tough dough, but not this one. Beat in the vanilla; pour into the prepared loaf pan. 

Zest and cardamom smells amazing

Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the centre of the loaf to the bottom of pan comes out clean. Remove the loaf from the oven, leave it in the pan and place the pan on a rack. Make sure you have a piece of wax paper under your rack as you will immediately drizzle half the lemon glaze over the top of the hot loaf. Let sit 10 minutes, then drizzle with remaining lemon mixture. Let sit another 10 minutes, then turn loaf out of the pan and finish cooling on the rack. 

I forgot, you can't cut it until it is completely cooled. Very crumby

Enjoy!