Lemon Loaf – Moist, Velvety, and So Addictive! 🍋🍰

• ### For the cake
• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup buttermilk
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon lemon extract
• ### For the syrup
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ### For the glaze
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. 1

   This cake comes together very fast. The most time-consuming and difficult part is getting all of the ingredients together. Let's get started: - Preheat the oven to 350°F. - Measure out the flour, spoon it into your cup measures and level it off by removing the extra flour with a butter knife, without compressing the flour into the cup. Sift the flour into a bowl. If you scoop the flour straight out of the bag, you will end up compressing it and getting more flour than you need, resulting in a dense cake. So don't skip this extra step. - Grease and line a 9x5 baking pan with parchment. - Break the room temperature eggs into a container. - Measure out the buttermilk and add the vanilla and lemon extracts to it. - Zest the lemons as well as squeeze the required amount of lemon juice.

2. 2

   In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine sugar, butter, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat on low to combine, then increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, for about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer twice during this time to scrape up the sides of the bowl. Decrease the speed to medium low and add the eggs, one at a time, waiting in between additions until each egg is incorporated.

3. 3

   Decrease the mixer speed to low and add a third of your flour followed by half of the buttermilk. Add another third of flour followed by the lemon juice. Finish by adding the remainder of flour and buttermilk. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated. Mix on low for about 2 seconds to ensure everything is incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

4. 4

   Bake in preheated oven for about 34–43 minutes. Mine was ready at exactly 38 minutes. The cake should be golden and the toothpick should come out mostly clean, with a few moist crumbs, or for the best most precise measure—the internal temperature measured with an instant read digital thermometer inserted into the cake should register exactly 200°F but no more than 206°F. The toothpick or your instant read digital thermometer should come out with a few moist crumbs but not wet batter. Overbaking the cake will ruin it, and not overbaking is by far the most important part.

5. 5

   Remove from the oven and allow to cool for exactly 15 minutes. While you are waiting for 15 minutes, make the syrup. After 15 minutes, poke holes on top of your cake so that the syrup can be better absorbed. Brush the top of the cake with all of the syrup. Allow to cool completely. You can try this trick if desired: after brushing the cake with syrup, wrap it with plastic wrap and allow to cool wrapped. This will trap even more moisture into the cake.

6. 6

   Bring water and sugar to a boil. Stir with a rubber spatula and remove from heat. Stir in the lemon juice.

7. 7

   Combine powdered sugar with lemon juice until the desired consistency is reached. It should be quite thick but pourable. The cake must be cooled completely before being glazed. Allow the glaze to set, uncovered, for 30–60 minutes.