Who’s up for a lemony good cake with a twist?
Posting date: 10 May 15. Happy Mother’s Day!
Ultralemony Lemon Bundt Cake with Almond Glaze
Author: Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito
Yield: 1 Bundt cake • 12 to 16 servings
Ingredients
For the Lemon Bundt Cake
- 1½ cups (170 g) cake flour
- 1½ cups (170 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2¾ cups (550 g) granulated sugar
- Zest of 10 lemons (approximately 10 tablespoons/60 g)
- 8 ounces (2 sticks/225 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- ½ cup (120 ml) canola oil
- 3 tablespoons dark rum
- 2 tablespoons pure lemon extract
- 3 large eggs
- 3 large yolks
- ¾ cup (180 ml) heavy cream
For the Lemon Syrup
- 1⁄3 cup (65 g) granulated sugar
- 1⁄3 cup (75 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons dark rum, or more to taste
For the Almond Glaze
- 2 to 4 tablespoons (30 to 60 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons pure almond extract
- 2½ to 3 cups (250 to 300 g) sifted confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ cup (25 g) slivered almonds, toasted (see page 19)
Instructions
Make the Lemon Bundt Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Generously spray the inside of a 10-cup (2.4-L) Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray, dust with flour, and knock out the excess flour.
- Alternatively, you can butter and flour the pan.
- Either way, make sure the pan’s nooks and crannies are all thoroughly coated.
- Sift both flours, the baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
- Set aside.
- Place the sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Sprinkle the lemon zest over the sugar and use the tips of your fingers to rub the zest in until the mixture is uniformly pale yellow.
- Pour the melted butter and canola oil into the bowl of lemon sugar and beat on medium speed until well combined.
- Add the rum, lemon extract, eggs, and egg yolks and beat again on medium speed until just combined.
- Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
- Scrape down the bowl, then mix on low speed for a few more seconds.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes.
- Place the wire rack over a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Make the Lemon Syrup
- In a small saucepan over very low heat, whisk together the sugar, lemon juice, and rum until the sugar starts to melt.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
- Then reduce the heat to a simmer for a minute or two, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat.
- Gently loosen the sides of the somewhat cooled cake from the pan and turn it out onto the rack.
- Poke the cake with several holes (on the crown and sides) in preparation for the syrup.
- Use a pastry brush to gently brush the top and sides of the cake with the syrup.
- Allow the syrup to soak into the cake.
- Brush at least two more times. (You might have some syrup left over.)
- Continue to let the cake cool completely.
Make the Almond Glaze
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and the almond extract.
- Add 2½ cups (250 g) of the confectioners’ sugar and continue whisking until the mixture is pourable.
- A fairly sturdy, thick glaze will give you the best visual result.
- If the mixture is too thick, add more lemon juice, a tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.
- If the mixture is too thin, keep adding confectioners’ sugar, ¼ cup (25 g) at a time, until the desired consistency is reached; this will make the glaze sweeter, of course.
- Pour the glaze in large thick ribbons over the crown of the Bundt, allowing the glaze to spread
- and drip down the sides of the cake.
- Sprinkle the almonds over the glaze and allow the glaze to set (for about 20 minutes) before serving.
Notes
How to Store: The cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Gaaah. My cake stuck to my pan. Sometimes baking is not a pretty sight!
Anyone actually weigh the zest from your lemons? I only got 21g from 10 big lemons.
I noticed when I tested this one that it specifically says to flour the pan, which is not usually the case for BAKED Bundts. My test cake was kind of a floury mess, so I did it really carefully this time and made sure I had a thin, even layer of cooking spray and flour– it’s a little high maintenance. Yes, I weighed my zest, and 10 lemons came to about 30-something grams, so I added an extra one. I think my total was about 40 grams, and it was still very lemony.
Normally I just spray the crap out of it with Pam Baking. And it’s one of the WS gold nonstick pans too. Crazy.
Super lemony even with the 21g of lemons. I wasn’t about to zest anymore, I was done after 10!
just out of curiousity – how much are lemons where you live? they’re like $1.29 each at my grocery store.
Free? I have a tree in my backyard. :)
Jealous!!!!!
I think we have the same pan. I normally do the exact same thing, but I think this one is extra sticky. :-/ And yes, 10 is quite enough!