The other day, I posted a recipe for a lemon loaf cake. The actual cake didn't last long! In fact, B. snagged the last piece on Saturday morning -- the piece I was saving to have with my Saturday morning coffee (I usually get a latte and some lemon pound cake at Starbucks). As soon as he devoured that last piece, he was already asking for more.
The recipe I originally posted (see previous post, below) had the ingredients portioned for one medium loaf pan. Because I was getting a little ambitious (and hungry for cake), I reconfigured the portions for a large loaf pan (9.25 x 5.25 x 2.75), and I tested the larger recipe last night. It came out great -- perfect, in fact! The cake actually looked like a lovely "loaf." (You can see in the picture, below). The medium loaf pan tends to have the cake come out flat all the way across -- which is fine, because it frosts and tastes great, anyway. The large pan, for whatever reason, actually rises in a loaf shape. But, that's just aesthetics and has no effect whatsoever on the taste. One note: for the large loaf, you'll need to increase the cooking time to about one hour. As always, though, when making a cake, you can't beat the old "toothpick in the center" test for doneness.
Also, because I had some fresh oranges from my Bountiful Basket the previous week, I decided to try an orange loaf version. It came out fantastic, as well! On that one, I used white chocolate buttercream icing, which may be my new standard. The white chocolate made the icing come out much creamier in both taste and looks.
I used orange buttercream icing on the lemon cake this time. (B. isn't a huge fan of lemon, although he loves the lemon loaf cake -- the extra lemon in the icing was just a bit much for him). The orange icing tasted great -- the orange taste is pretty subtle, though, so if you want it more prominent you'll probably need to use more orange extract than the recipe calls for. As I said, though, I'm leaning toward using the white chocolate icing on both the flavors. It's rich and creamy, and I think it's a great contrast with the citrus-y notes in the cakes. But it's cook's choice, so go with your own preference.
I made the orange cake in the medium loaf pan. If you want to use a large loaf pan, just increase all of the measurements by one-third. (The volume of a medium loaf pan is 6 cups; the volume of a large loaf pan is 8 cups). I'm posting the recipe for the lemon cake in the large loaf pan, so those measurements will also work for the orange cake. You can adjust the flavorings a bit up or down, though, depending on how lemon-y or orange-y you want your final product.
I'm also posting the recipes for the orange and white chocolate buttercream icings. You may want to adjust either the liquid or powdered sugar amounts to get your desired consistency. I like my icing sort of "medium thick" -- not as thick as you usually get on a commercial cake, but thick enough so that it actually behaves like icing and not like a glaze. If you want it thinner, add a bit more buttermilk or regular milk; thicker, add a little more confectioners sugar.
Also, my friend, Wendy, who is a fabulous cake-maker and decorator (and now is getting into it on a professional level) gave me her recipe for buttercream icing. It's essentially the same as mine, but she uses shortening (like Crisco) instead of butter and water as the liquid instead of buttermilk. I'm guessing the shortening has more staying power than butter, so feel free to use whichever fat you prefer.
Finally, because the lemon and orange cakes came out so well, I'm planning to try a pineapple version. I'm curious to see how that would work, especially considering you can't actually zest a pineapple and I don't have any pineapple extract. I'd think I could buy the extract in pineapple flavor -- I have just about all of the rest of the flavors, but I haven't actually looked for pineapple yet. I'm thinking I can put some crushed pineapple in it, but I'll have to play around with some of the liquid measurements to get the texture right. When I get a chance to experiment with pineapple, I'll post the recipe if it turns out good. It may take a couple tries.
Oh, and one final final note (I just remembered this after uploading the photos) -- The top tends to start browning quickly about halfway through the cook time. I start checking it after about 15 or 20 minutes, then about every 5 minutes to catch it before it browns too much. I just lay a piece of foil over the top and let it finish. If you don't want to deal with checking that often, you could just start with the foil on top (just tent it over the pan, don't wrap the foil around the pan). Then take the foil off about 10 or 15 minutes before it's done to let the top "golden-up" a bit.
Now, on to the good stuff!
The How:
*Large lemon loaf on the left. Medium orange loaf on the right. Before icing.
Lemon Cake
(one large loaf pan - 9.25 x 5.25 x 2.75)
2 C. all-purpose flour
2 2/3 t. baking powder
2/3 t. kosher salt
1 1/3 C. buttermilk
1 1/3C. granulated sugar
4 extra-large eggs
2 ½ t. grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2/3 t. pure vanilla extract
2/3 t. lemon extract
2/3 C. vegetable oil
Soaking Liquid
½ C. freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ C. granulated sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray one large loaf pan (9.25 x 5.25 x 2.75) with non-stick spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Using a little vegetable oil, oil and flour the bottom and sides of the pan.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, using a hand-held mixer, beat together the buttermilk, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla and lemon extracts. Slowly beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about one hour, or until a toothpick placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Meanwhile, prepare the soaking liquid by cooking 1/3 cup lemon juice and 1/3 cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully turn the cake out of the loaf pan and place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in.
Orange Loaf Cake
(one medium loaf pan - 8.5 x 4.25 x 2.5)
1 ½ C. all-purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
½ t. kosher salt
1 C. buttermilk
1 C. granulated sugar
3 extra-large eggs
1T. grated orange zest (about 1.5 to 2 medium oranges)
½ t. pure vanilla extract
½ t. orange extract
½ C. vegetable oil
Soaking Liquid
1/3 C. freshly squeezed orange juice
1/3 C. granulated sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray one 8.5 x 4.25 x 2.5 inch loaf pan (medium) with non-stick spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Using a little vegetable oil, oil and flour the bottom and sides of the pan.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, using a hand-held mixer, beat together the buttermilk, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, orange zest, and vanilla and orange extracts. Slowly beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Meanwhile, prepare the soaking liquid by cooking 1/3 cup orange juice and 1/3 cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully turn the cake out of the pan and place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the orange-sugar soaking liquid over the cake and allow it to soak in.
Allow to cool, then frost.
White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
6 oz. white chocolate chips (or a white chocolate bar, broken into small pieces)
¼ T heavy cream
¼ C. butter, softened
3 C. confectioners sugar
Microwave the white chocolate and cream in medium bowl on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, until chocolate is almost melted, stirring halfway through heating time. Stir until white chocolate is completely melted. Cool to room temperature.
Whip butter with an electric mixer. Add confectioners sugar, one cup at a time, beating continuously. Add white chocolate and beat until fluffy. To make it thicker, add a little more sugar. To make it thinner, add a little milk or water.
Orange Buttercream Frosting
½ C. of butter
3 C. of confectioners sugar
1 T. orange juice
1 t. orange extract
1 t. orange zest (optional)
2 to 3 T. buttermilk
Whip butter with an electric mixer. Add confectioners sugar, one cup at a time, beating continuously. Add orange juice, extract, and zest, if using. Add the buttermilk, one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
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