Maida Heatter's Best Darn Lemon Cake Ever

Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 16
• 1/2 cup almonds, blanched
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (double-acting)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, graded large
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 ounce lemon extract
• 3 lemons, sized medium (or 2 large, use grated rind in cake, and 1/3 cup of the juice for the glaze)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup lemon juice, fresh (from lemons listed above)

Recipe

• 1 spray an 8-1/2"x5" loaf pan with baking spray.
• 2 grind almonds very fine and set aside.
• 3 sift together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
• 4 in a small heavy saucepan, melt butter. transfer to a large bowl. with electric mixer, add sugar and beat a bit to mix.
• 5 on low speed, beat in eggs one at a time, beating only to mix well.
• 6 add dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with milk in two additions, scraping bowl with a spatula and beating until mixed after each addition.
• 7 mix in lemon extract.
• 8 remove from mixer. stir in grated rind, then stir in ground almonds.
• 9 turn mixture into pan. (it will be thin.) bake at 350 for 65-75 minutes. (during baking, cake will form a large crack or two on top, and crack(s) will remain light in color.).
• 10 a few minutes before cake is finished, prepare glaze: stir sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over moderate heat, only until sugar is just dissolved. (don't boil!).
• 11 when cake is removed from the oven, let it stand for 2-3 minutes. then, using brush, brush the hot glaze gradually over the hot cake. glaze should not be applied quickly; it should take about 5 minutes to apply all the glaze.
• 12 let cake stand until not quite completely cool. then gently invert onto a rack and turn right side up. when cool, wrap in plastic wrap or foil and let stand 12-24 hours before serving.