Lemon Zest Bread

It's Winter. It's dark and sometimes gloomy.  Spring is but a distant glimpse in the future and Buttercream Bakehouse is determined to brighten things up with lots of sunny little lemons.  Get ready to pucker up, this bread is sweet, moist and made with oodles of lemon zest for a tart treat.    If you are watching your weight you may want to skip this little indulgence because it's made with lots 'O sugar, butter and cake flour.   That's what gives it a melt in your mouth quality that is so irresistible.   Top this baby with a little lemon sugar drizzle ( like a runny frosting) and tint it pink for a fun Valentines Day flare.  

Let's begin...

First up, make sure to have all of your ingredients at room temperature.  Then add sugar, eggs, lemon juice and lemon zest and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment of your Stand mixer.

Tip:  Place eggs in a bowl of warm water for a minute or two.  It's the fastest and safest way to bring eggs to room temp.

Add melted and cooled unsalted butter to mixture while mixer is still running.  Then add the sour cream and vanilla.

Add flour mixture 1/3 cup at a time and fold into wet mixture.

Pour into greased loaf pans and bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 20 minutes.  Then rotate pans and bake another 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean.

Now the fun part!  Mix 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and a few teaspoons of lemon juice (to taste) and if you are feeling spunky, add a few drops of food coloring to it.  I chose pink for Valentines Day.  Once loaf is cooled, drizzle the sugary goodness over the top.  Oh, and if you are not too sweet on the drizzling you can omit this step.  This bread is just as tasty without it.

Oh lemon zest, how I love thee!!

Lemon Zest Bread:

Adapted from Baked-Frontiers in baking 

• 1 ½ cups cake flour
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 ¼ cups sugar
• 8 large eggs, at room temperature
• ¼ cup grated lemon zest (from about 3 lemons)
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• ½ cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans; dust with flour, tapping out excess.  Or use Pam baking spray
2. In a medium bowl, sift together both flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed combine sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice. With the mixer still running, drizzle the butter into the bowl. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix to combine. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. 
4. Sprinkle in the flour mixture over the batter, one third at a time, folding gently after each addition until just combined. Do not over-mix.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes, rotate the pans, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake for another 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely then drizzle the Glaze on top of each loaf.

makes 2 scrumptious loaves.

Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 drop of food coloring if desired

Mix together until well combined.  Add more or less juice depending on desired consistency.  You basically want it to be a pancake batter consistency.