I bake in high heels

I am not domestic, and I certainly do not bake. However, I've spent 3 years cultivating and nurturing a very fertile lemon tree that bears beautiful, fragrant, gigantic lemons. I adore them and I was so excited to pick the first ripe one on Wednesday, but once I held it in my hands I had no idea what to do with it. After staring at it every morning in my kitchen I finally decided that I needed to set aside my baking reservations...temporarily...VERY temporarily...and make a cake with it.



This is the first cake I've ever made, and after tasting its delicious perfection it will be the only one I will ever want to make. You must try it. I have a couple slices left, I'll give you one. ;)

Here is my pictorial baking journey and corresponding recipe. I like to weight things and my brain operates in the metric system, I'm a scientist, I can't help it, but if you need conversions to inexact means of weight determination they are in parenthesis and greatly discouraged :)

210 grams (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
113 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
100 grams (1/4 cup) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
120 ml (1/2 cup) milk
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
Lemon Glaze:
66 grams (1/3 cup) granulated white sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice





Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter the bottom and sides of a loaf pan. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.


Beat the butter until softened with an electric mixer or a strong hand (I discourage the latter). Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.


With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk (in two additions) alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Mix only until combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.


Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the 66 grams (1/3 cup) of sugar and the 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

When the bread is done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Pierce the hot loaf all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick and then brush the top of the loaf with the hot lemon glaze. Cool the loaf in the pan for about 30 minutes then remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.



If you can't resist the smell, you may eat it while hot with ice cream (like I did).