when you look at the amount of butter / sugar / heavy cream / mascarpone /... i use, it wont come as a surprise that i am a huge fan of ina garten. i am still a bit confused about the whole "barefoot"-name... but i just think she is wonderful, witty, smart and a darn good cook & baker. i love how she starts pretty much every recipe with a pound of butter (and jokes so wonderfully about it) - she has got to be a good girl to be with. i was so lucky - when i was in the US last week, there was constantly one or another re-run of ther show barefoot contessa on foodnetwork - i just watched all of them and sometimes didnt leave the house before i saw ina cook on the telly.
there was one recipe that almost made me lick the screen. her lemon drizzle cake looked so fresh and juicy and good that i knew i had to bake it as soon as i was home. it is such a moist and lemony cake - gosh, it's just a slice of heaven! it does come with a few calories, i have to admit - but then i always follow the rule: if you eat sweets, then make sure it's decent, pure sugar you eat. once you treat yourself to something sinfully sweet as this cake, you dont wanna deal with super-low-sugar stuff. oh no, it's got to be the real mc coy.
the good thing about this cake is that it keeps in the fridge for a few days, so you got dessert for at least a week. also - this recipe makes two loaves, so that means you actually got dessert for TWO weeks! i hope ina will forgive me for changing her recipe here and there (i tried to reduce the amount of sugar... and then there was the syrup... and then came the glaze - it was impossible, but i tried). i hope i got the measurements right - my writing pad fell into my sink (i know, how stupid is that...?) and i cant really figure out all the measurements i wrote down. just follow your instincts, juice some lemons and tuck in!
makes 2 cakes
230g butter, room temperature
450g sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
zest of 4-5 bio-lemons
about 330g flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
juice of 3 lemons
180 ml milk
syrup:
100g sugar
about 100ml of lemon juice (about 2 small lemons)
glaze:
250g confectioner's sugar
5 tablespoons of lime-juice
1 tablespoon of kirsch
heat the oven to 175 c°, grease & line two oval cake-tins.
cream the butter and the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. with the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, and the lemon zest.
sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. in another bowl, combine the lemon juice and the milk. add the flour and milk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
combine 100g granulated sugar with 100ml lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves and makes a syrup. when the cakes are done, let them cool for 10 minutes, then invert them onto a rack set over a tray, and spoon the lemon syrup over the cakes. allow the cakes to cool completely.
for the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in a bowl, mixing until smooth. add more juice or water when too thick - more confectionier's sugar if too runny. pour over the top of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.
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