My Creative Life #14 – Luvin Lemon

I really love lemon. I would actually choose a lemon cake over a chocolate one. Its just so fresh and happy and citrusy. And the smell of lemons are delightful. I drink a hot lemon and honey drink every morning too (has almost cured me of my coffee addiction).

I really thought lemons were the tops until walking through my local grocery store I discovered something even better. In tiny St. Marys, the town that makes Stratford look like a metropolis, I found a bag of fragrant, pretty, the perfect shade of "lemon" yellow... Meyer Lemons!

(Meyer Lemons are thought to be a cross between a lemon and a mandarin).

And they are just as lovely as everyone raves about. 

I debated what to make with them and decided on a pound cake. This also gave me a chance to use the nifty rasp My Beau thoughtfully bought for me recently. It turned the peel into feathery, light zest that mixed beautifully into the batter. Oh how I love Lee Valley tools.

I couldn't bring myself to use 1/2 cup of olive oil but I should have accommodated for it because I would like a moister cake. Perhaps, more yogurt would do the trick. I used Dorie Greenspan's recipe as a base. Next time I will try blood oranges (sorry, Ang) or tangerines. 

Only caveat is when I eat the cake, I start to cough... hmmm, lemon allergy? (tres triste).

Now, what to do with my remaining 3 lemons? Any suggestions?

Meyer Lemon and Yogurt Pound Cake

• 1 cup sugar
  
• zest of 1 meyer lemon
  
• juice of 1 meyer lemon
  
• 1/2 cup yogurt (I would up it to 1 cup)
  
• 3 large eggs
  
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
  
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  
• 1 1/2 cups flour
  
• 2 tsp baking soda
  
• pinch of salt (if you are daring add some rosemary!)

Preheat over 350 degrees and grease loaf pan.

Mix sugar, zest and juice in a bowl. Whisk in yogurt, eggs and vanilla. In another bowl mix dry ingredients. Add the dry to the wet ingredients and gently whisk. Fold in oil. 

Scrape into pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden, knife inserted will come out clean.

Add glaze to make it super-meyer lemony! Pour a mixture of juice from one lemon and 2 tbsp of sugar over the loaf while cooling in pan.