Monday, April 16, 2012

Tuesdays With Dorie : Lemon Loaf Cake


This week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe is Lemon Loaf Cake.. I like citrusy desserts and I like dry cakes - I mean cakes without icing or glaze or anything, the cakes similar to the ones I grew up eating that were served with Turkish tea.. That is why I was very sure that I would like this cake a lot.. The result is: "Not as good as I thought it would be".. On the one hand, I like that the lemon zest flavor coming through beautifully with every bite and I like that the sugar amount in the cake is just enough, not too sweet.. On the other hand, I found the cake a bit too dense and dry.. It is not a cake to eat by itself if you ask me.. That is why I served it with vanilla flavored sweetened whipped cream and some berries to our dinner guests on last Sunday.. It worked very well that way and was enjoyed by us and our guests..

The recipe is very simple: Whisk eggs, sugar and salt until foamy, whisk in the grated lemon zest, mix in flour and baking powder to the eggy mixture in 3 additions, whisk the heavy cream, and lastly fold in the melted butter.. That is it.. Then bake for 50-60 minutes.. Below is how my cake looked just out of the pan, with a beautiful yellow crack on top.. And it smells amazing while baking, thanks to grated zest of 3 lemons.. 


Conclusion: Although very easy and tasty, I found the cake too dry and dense to my taste.. I don't think I will be baking it anytime soon.. 

For the recipe please visit blogs of this week's hosts, Michelle and Truc:  The Beauty of Life and Treats, or buy the book: Baking with Julia..


Coming in 3 weeks: Hungarian Shortbread.. Looking forward to that one because it has rhubarb jam in between two layers of shortbread and I love love rhubarb.. 

Thanks for stopping by :)

Update: I have couple of slices of this cake in the freezer, and just ate a slice toasted.. It is delicious toasted, much better than fresh.. It can be eaten by itself with tea, coffee or spread your favorite jam or nutella on top.. Yummy.. 

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25 comments:

  1. baker in disguiseApril 17, 2012 at 3:48 AM

    i thought it needed to be more lemony!! but looking at your pics.. it followed the script in terms of apperance!! :) like the idea of berries.. if only we got them in India!!!

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    1. ferdaApril 17, 2012 at 8:31 AM

      I like the subtle lemon zest flavor of it, I was not expecting sour lemon taste.. Berries go very well with desserts.. The same in Turkey, only berry you would find in farmer's market is strawberries.. One of the good things about living in North America is the abundance of berries in all seasons :)

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  2. janeApril 17, 2012 at 5:33 AM

    It looks inviting with the berries and cream, sorry you didn't like it.

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    1. ferdaApril 17, 2012 at 8:40 AM

      It tasted great with cream and berries, I just was not impressed with the cake.. I enjoyed eating it though, don't get me wrong :) It is just that there so many recipes to try, this is not a keeper in my repertoire..

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  3. FlourchildApril 17, 2012 at 6:46 AM

    Hmmm I wonder why yours is so dry..I added lemon juice and that helped a ton!

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    1. ferdaApril 17, 2012 at 8:45 AM

      It can be because it was so dense I perceived it as dry.. I think it needs something to go with it, tea, cream, coffee :)

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  4. smarkiesApril 17, 2012 at 7:13 AM

    mine turned out moist (surprisingly since I had to leave it another 20 mins in the oven) but I agree that it was not lemony enough... needed more oomph...
    and onwards the search goes for that lemony lemon cake...

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    1. ferdaApril 17, 2012 at 8:52 AM

      Definitely the search continues :) But it was an easy recipe and we enjoyed it with cream and berries, so no complaints..

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  5. MarliseApril 17, 2012 at 12:26 PM

    I am starting to wonder how the recipe got into this cookbook when so many of our "tester" either did not like it or found it too dry. I like your addition of vanilla whipped cream. That was a great idea.

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    1. ferdaApril 17, 2012 at 4:45 PM

      Thanks Marlise.. To be fair, I just ate a slice toasted from the freezer, and loved it.. Much better than when it was fresh..

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  6. TeresaApril 17, 2012 at 5:28 PM

    I agree that this is a cake best served with an accompaniment. I really liked the idea of using it in a trifle, as a few folks suggested.

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    1. ferdaApril 17, 2012 at 5:45 PM

      That sounds like it would work with this cake..

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  7. AmandaApril 17, 2012 at 7:25 PM

    Wow, what a beautiful photo with the berries and cream. I bet that tasted delicious. Very happy you enjoyed your award : ).
    ~Amanda

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  8. Im At Home BakingApril 17, 2012 at 9:12 PM

    While I agree it was on the dry side, I still enjoyed it. Looks yummy.

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    1. ferdaApril 17, 2012 at 9:37 PM

      Thanks :) I enjoyed it too, just not as much as I thought I would..

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  9. DenizApril 18, 2012 at 7:55 AM

    That top pic is a star! I love it.

    Rhubarb ben de cok severim. David'in de en sevdigi pie Rhubab pie. O yuzden ben de denemek icin hevesleniyorum yeni tarifi. Dun aksam kitaptan resmine baktim nasi bisemis diye. Guzel gorunuyor.

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    1. ferdaApril 18, 2012 at 9:21 AM

      Evet guzel geliyor kulaga.. Hem de shortbread'i rendeliyorsun ya o kismini sevdim, hamur acmak yok :)

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    2. ferdaApril 18, 2012 at 9:35 AM

      Ingilizce kismini okumamisim yorumunun :) Tesekkurler canim :)

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  10. Cher RockwellApril 18, 2012 at 9:25 AM

    The cream and berries look like a perfect addition to this. This cake definitely needed a little extra "something" - very lovely

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    1. ferdaApril 18, 2012 at 9:35 AM

      Thanks Cher :) They made a good combination, and satisfying dessert all together..

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  11. JuliaApril 18, 2012 at 4:58 PM

    I also thought that it was too dense.

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  12. oven chaosApril 20, 2012 at 4:17 PM

    I love the yellow crack on top of your cake! It contrasts so well with the brown of the loaf. I see a big lizard :)

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    1. ferdaApril 20, 2012 at 6:16 PM

      Thanks :) Now I can see the lizard too :))

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