Maida Heatter’s Lemon Buttermilk Cake

 

I tried Maida Heatter’s famous lemon cake, also called the East 62nd Street Lemon cake. It first appeared in the New York Times in the 1970s. This is very moist and citrusy cake. I made a few modifications: 1) combined the sugar and lemon zest first, 2) added 1 teaspoon lemon extract, 2) baked for 68 min, 3) used only half of the glaze. Next time, I would baking for 60 min and would not add the lemon extract.

 Best Lemon Cake Recipe - How To Make Maida Heatter's Lemon Cake (food52.com)

Ingredients

Cake

  • Fine, dry bread crumbs, for dusting pan (omitted, used cooking spray)
  • Finely grated rind of 3 large lemons (juice will be used below for Glaze)
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 2/3 cups (354 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 pound (226 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing pan (2 sticks butter)
  • 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk (used 1 cup of milk and 4 teaspoons of lemon juice and let it sit for 10-15 min)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract

 

Glaze

  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (used ¼ cup lemon juice)
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar (used 40 ml or 1/6 cup of sugar)
Directions

1.      Adjust a rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 350°F. You will need a tube pan with a 10-cup capacity (that is generally 9 inches in diameter); it can be a pan with a design or a 9 x 3 1/2–inch tube pan without a design. If you use a pan with a design, butter it (even if it is nonstick) and then dust it all over with fine, dry bread crumbs. If you use the plain 9 x 3 1/2–inch tube pan, butter it, line the bottom with parchment paper cut to fit, butter the paper, and dust all over with crumbs. With either pan, tap to shake out excess crumbs over a piece of paper. Set aside.

2.      Place the lemon rind and juice in a small cup and set aside. (Combined the lemon zest with sugar)

3.      Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.

4.      In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until soft. Add the sugar and beat until well mixed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, add the sifted dry ingredients in three additions and the buttermilk in two, beginning and ending with the dry. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula, and beat only until smooth after each addition.

5.      Remove from the mixer and stir in the lemon rind and juice. Also added 1 teaspoon lemon extract.

6.      Turn into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a cake tester gently inserted into the middle comes out clean and dry (baked 68 min, next time would check at 60 min). The cake will be deeply golden brown and will have begun to pull away from the sides of the pan.

7.      While the cake is baking, make the glaze: Mix the juice and sugar and let stand, stirring occasionally.

8.      Remove the cake from the oven and let it stand in the pan for 5 minutes. Then cover it with a rack and very carefully turn over the pan and the rack and place it over a large piece of foil. Remove the pan. If you have used a paper lining, peel it off now.

9.      With a pastry brush, brush the glaze over the top, sides and tube of the hot cake.

10.   Let stand until completely cool.

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