For our new ‘Sweet Treat’ feature, we’ll be bringing you a taste bud-tingling, saliva-inducing recipe every week.
Whether you simply want to put your baking skills to the test or fancy treating your colleagues to something tasty (hint hint Her.ie girls!), this is where to come.
This week, it’s Lemon Loaf courtesy of The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook…
(Makes 8-10 slices)
Ingredients:
320 g caster sugar
3 eggs
Grated zest of 2 lemons
350 g plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
250 ml whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
200 g unsalted butter, melted
Lemon syrup (juice and zest of 1 lemon and 50 g caster sugar)
Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees.
2. Put the sugar, eggs and lemon zest in a bowl and beat (with mixer or electric whisk) until well incorporated.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a separate bowl. Combine the milk and vanilla extract in another bowl. Add one third of the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and beat well. Then beat in one third of the milk mixture. Repeat this process twice more until everything has been added. Turn the mixer or whisk up to a high speed and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
4. Turn the mixer or whisk down to a low speed and pour in the melted butter. Beat until well incorporated.
5. Pour the mixture into a 23 x 13 cm loaf tin (greased and dusted with flour) and bake in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until golden brown and the sponge bounces back when touched.
6. Make your lemon syrup while the loaf is baking. To do this, put the lemon juice and zest and sugar along with 100 ml water into a small saucepan and bring to the boil over a low heat. Raise the heat and boil until the mixture has reduced by half, or has a syrupy consistency. When the hot cake comes out of the oven, put it on a cooling rack in the sink and pour the syrup over the top (excess syrup will run over the edges and into the sink). Leave to cool slightly in the tin before turning out onto the cooling rack to cool completely.
