Strawberry-Lemon Loaf Cake
This cake is summer in a loaf pan. When baked, strawberries can become sour and a little gummy. Here, berries are macerated with sugar first to remove some of their liquid and concentrate their flavor. (Don’t use frozen strawberries. Keep those for your smoothie!) The lemon icing adds a nice finish, to balance and bolster the cake’s tart-sweetness. Have it as dessert or a snack, but it’s especially good at breakfast with hot coffee or tea.
- Total:
- Serves: 9 persons
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1cup/150 grams diced strawberries
- 1cup/200 grams plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 ½cups/192 grams all-purpose flour
- 1tablespoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- 2teaspoons baking powder
- ½teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
- 1cup/227 grams sour cream, at room temperature
- ½cup/110 grams vegetable oil
- 3large eggs, at room temperature
- 1tablespoon lemon juice
- 1teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1cup/123 grams confectioners’ sugar
- 1tablespoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- 2tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
Step 1
Make the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.Step 2
In a small bowl, toss the strawberries with 1 tablespoon sugar to macerate while you prepare the cake batter.Step 3
In a large bowl, combine the flour, lemon zest, baking powder, salt and remaining 1 cup sugar. Whisk to combine. In a second large bowl, combine the sour cream, oil, eggs, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.Step 4
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir gently to mix. Lift the macerated berries out of their liquid and add them to the batter. Gently fold in the berries until evenly incorporated.Step 5
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. If it looks to be browning on top too much, tent with aluminum foil. Cool it in the pan on a rack for about 10 minutes, then unmold the cake carefully and transfer to the rack to cool completely.Step 6
Make the glaze: In a small bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar with the lemon zest and juice and stir until smooth. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake. Let stand until set.