brown sugar lemon cake

Just the name alone made our mouths water. This recipe is out of The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen with Nigel Slater, by Nigel Slater. For those of you not familiar with this book, Nigel records a year of his culinary experiences and recipes that reflect seasonality making this the perfect cook book for inspiration.

The cake we made is from the March 19th entry, so it's something suitable for early spring. The reason I say "we" is because my husband and I tag teamed on this recipe. He started the prep, made the lemon topping, got all mise en place, then I came home and finished the mixing, baking and the sauce while he ran out for a bit. I loved that we both had a part in making this rich, delectable dessert.

My part of the deal was probably easier than his but I must say that I thought I almost lost the cake. The baking time was 45 minutes, so I checked the cake at about 40 minutes and to my surprise it looked like a loaf of melted butter. It was watery and wiggly and I thought oh no.... I've ruined it. I couldn't figure out how this cake was going to set and rise, so I actually took a ladle and scooped out about 1/4 c of melted butter from the center of the loaf. I gave it 15 more minutes before declaring it a complete disaster and when checking it again there seemed to be hope. It was firming up and rising a bit. It needed to bake a lot longer than the recipe called for (about 1/2 hour longer).

After doing some online research, my husband found this recipe listed with only 1 1/4c butter, not the 1 3/4 c that we used. So we believe there was a misprint in the book.

Anyway, this is one moist, rich and flavorful bread that stays fresh for a while. We served it with creme fraiche and fresh berries. I highly recommend it.

I have to give credit to my friend Maggie of Hello Kitchen for styling the first picture of this post and to my husband of add an egg for craving the recipe.

Brown Sugar Lemon Cake with Thick Yogurt (or creme fraiche !)
by Nigel Slater

cake
1 3/4 cups butter (I believe this to be a misprint, I would use 1 1/4 c )
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup ground almonds
3/4 tsp baking powder
large lemon
4 large eggs

topping
lemon
2 generous tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp water

syrup
2 generous tbsps brown sugar
juice of a large lemon

oven 325. line loaf pan, about 10x4x3in deep with parchment.

Topping - slice lemon thinly and put it in a small saucepan with the sugar and water. bring to a boil, then watch closely for five minutes or so, until the water has almost evaporated and the lemon slices are sticky. set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar together in a food mixer till they are light and fluffy. You can expect it to take a little longer than it would with superfine sugar. Meanwhile, measure the flour and almonds and mix them with the baking powder. Grate the zest of the lemon and add it to the flour mixture.

Break the eggs and beat them lightly with a fork, then add them to the creamed butter and sugar a little at a time. The mixture will probably curdle a bit but don't worry. Remove the mixing bowl from the machine and gently fold in the flour, almonds and baking powder with a large metal spoon (a wooden spoon would knock the air out).

Scoop the cake mixture into the lined pan, then lay the reserved lemon slices on top, overlapping them down the center of the cake. Bake for about forty-five minutes, till risen and golden. Insert a metal skewer to see if it is ready. If it comes out clean, then the cake is done; if it has mixture sticking to it, it needs a few minutes longer. remove the cake from the oven and set aside.

For the syrup, stir the brown sugar into the lemon juice; it will only partially dissolve. Spike the top of the cake with a metal skewer, then spoon over the lemon and sugar. leave to cool.