Lemon Sugar Loaf Cake

Ingredients

For the lemon sugar 

• 2 lemons, washed
• 1 cup granulated sugar

For the pound cake 

• 1.5 sticks Imperfect Foods Unsalted Butter, softened
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ cup milk + 1 ½ tsp lemon juice (let sit for 15 minutes before adding to batter)

For the lemon glaze 

• ¼ – ½ cup lemon juice
• 1 ½ cup powdered sugar

Directions

Make the lemon sugar:

1. With a serrated peeler, carefully remove the outer zest of the lemons, avoiding the white pith (which can be bitter). Place sugar and peels into a food processor and pulse to combine. Keep pulsing until zest is completely incorporated into the sugar. The sugar will be very fragrant and pale yellow.
2. Juice the lemons and add 1 ½ tsp of the juice to ½ a cup of milk. Let sit for 15 minutes. Set the rest of the juice aside for the glaze.

Make the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
2. Place lemon sugar and butter into a large bowl and cream until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
3. Beat in eggs, one at a time, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next one. Beat for another 2-3 minutes once all eggs are in.
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add ⅓ of the milk and lemon mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the batter and mix until just combined. Continue, alternating adding the milk and lemon mixture with the flour mixture until all ingredients are combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and stir to make sure everything is incorporated.
5. Grease the inside of your loaf pan and then pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then remove from the pan to fully cool for about an hour.

Make the glaze:

1. While the cake is cooking, whisk together powdered sugar with ¼ cup of lemon juice. If the glaze looks too thick, add more lemon juice, 1 tsp at a time, until your desired consistency is achieved. Pour glaze over cooled cake.

Recipe Notes and Variations

• To easily make your cake dairy free, sub the butter for your favorite vegan butter (you can get Miyoko’s from Imperfect!). To make it vegan too, sub the three eggs for three flax eggs: Mix three tablespoons ground flaxseed meal with nine tablespoons of water and let sit in your fridge for 15 minutes to thicken up.
• Want more ways to “use the whole carrot?” Try our Creamy Whole Parmesan Pasta and Warm Whole Beet Salad.