So far, this January has been great! It’s surprising because I usually hate January. It might just be luck; after all, there are good times, and there are bad times. I suspect, however, that it’s a change in my perspective that has made this month so good. I started off the year with one resolution, and that was to do what lights me up. Well, 21 days in and I have kept that promise. I’m reading my third book of the year (I read a ghost story, then a romance, and now I’ve started one about a WWII spy). I’m on my phone 25% less than last year, and plan to get that percentage even higher as the year goes on. I stopped drinking for 19 days. Then I drank two fabulous martinis to celebrate not drinking for 19 days. I’m in another play for my local community theater! And, of course, I’ve been baking. Lots of baking, and lots of learning about baking. East 62nd Street Lemon Cake is a perfect example. I made this delicious cake a few times. I played around with the recipe, tweaking it here and there. What has emerged from my oven is an exquisite pound cake with a dark, sugar-crusted exterior, and a light, fluffy, lemony flavored interior. It is wonderful. And so is January.
I adapted this recipe from the New York Times article on the East 62nd Street Lemon Cake. It’s been a popular recipe since 1970 with a bit of history to boot. It’s a typical creaming method pound cake (mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, mix in the eggs, and then add your dry and wet ingredients, alternating between the two). I changed a few aspects of the recipe, however, with some baking tips I’ve picked up since starting this website in 2014.
The first tip is to rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingertips. As with macerated strawberries, sugar brings out the oils from the lemon zest, which in turn will give your cake more depth in flavor. After that, you’re ready to beat in the softened butter.
Another tip I’ve learned is to fold whipped cream (not just whipping cream, but already whipped cream) into the batter. Whipped cream gives cakes a light and fluffy texture thanks to the air trapped in the cream. Fold in this magic ingredient after you’ve mixed in the dry ingredients. It’s a heavy batter, so the folding is a bit difficult, but don’t be discouraged. It will work.
What’s neat about the original East 62nd Street Lemon Cake recipe is that it requires prepping the bundt or tube pan with grease and bread crumbs. Apparently, plain bread crumbs make extracting a cake from a pan extremely easy without any trace of the crumbs.
Bake in a 325º F. oven for 1 hour, or until an internal temperature reads 210º F. By the way, I love taking the internal temperature of most of my bakes. It’s the most accurate indication.
While the cake is still warm, generously brush on a simple sugar and lemon syrup.
And allow it to sit for a few hours. This will give the cake time to absorb the syrup. When ready to serve, place the cake on a lovely plate, put on a pot of coffee, get out your favorite book, and enjoy your January.
Notes
Special equipment needed: 9-inch bundt or tube pan, standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, pastry brush, large baking sheet, parchment paper, various sized bowls, 2 wire racks, candy thermometer, rubber spatula, off set spatula.
Ingredients
For the cake
- Plain Bread Crumbs
- 3 cups (330 g) All-Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp. Baking Powder
- ½ tsp. Salt
- 2 cups (400 g) Granulated Sugar
- Lemon Zest from two large Lemons
- 1 cup (226 g) Unsalted Butter, softened
- 4 Large Eggs
- 1 cup Heavy Cream, whipped to soft peaks
For the glaze
- 2/3 cup (135 g) Granulated Sugar
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch tube or bundt pan, and then dust with bread crumbs. Dump out the excess.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a bowl connected to a standing mixer, rub the sugar and lemon zest together. Add the butter and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and then mix in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture. Stop mixing once fully combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Mix in 1/3 of the whipped cream to lighten the batter. Fold in the remaining whipped cream.
- Scrape the batter into the pan. Using an off set spatula, level out the top.
- Bake for 1 hour, or until the cake springs back when touched, or an inserted toothpick comes out clean, or the internal temperature reads 210 degrees F.
- Once baked, cool the cake for 5 minutes on a wire rack, and then carefully invert the cake onto another wire rack placed over a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, mix the sugar and lemon juice together to make the syrup. Using a pastry brush, brush the syrup all over the warm cake.
- Allow the lemon cake to cool completely before serving. Enjoy!
