Glazed Lemon Walnut Loaf
Makes one 9-inch loaf
Lemon is a fine companion to many nuts, but particularly good with walnuts. In this lemony batter, intense with grated rind, juice, and lemon extract, and glazed after baking with more lemon, the nuts offer a nice contrast to the tight crumb of the loaf. It's the kind of cake you want to have on hand if weekend guests are around and you need something to serve on the patio with a pitcher of iced tea.
CAKE
Vegetable or canola oil (for the pan)
Grated rind of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 tablespoons sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
½ cup milk
1. Set the oven at 350 degrees. Very lightly film a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with oil. Line the pan with a large sheet of parchment paper, pressing it in with your fingertips, leaving a small amount of overhang.
2. In a small bowl, combine the lemon rind, juice, and extract. Stir well.
3. In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to blend them. Transfer a spoonful of the flour mixture to a small bowl. Add the walnuts to the small bowl and toss well.
4. In an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter for 2 minutes, or until creamy. Add the sugar in two additions, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the eggs, one a time. The mixture may look curdled; that's OK. Scrape down the sides of the bowl often with a rubber spatula.
5. Blend in the sour cream or yogurt and lemon rind mixture. On low speed, add half of the flour mixture, then the milk, then the remaining flour mixture. Mix just until the flour is absorbed.
6. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand. With a large metal spoon, fold in the walnuts and any flour in the bowl. Spoon the batter into the pan, mounding it lightly down the center. Tap the pan once hard on the counter to settle any air pockets.
7. Bake the cake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake is clean when withdrawn. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Using the parchment paper as a sling, lift the cake out of the pan. Open the parchment paper. Make the glaze.
GLAZE
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1. In a bowl, mix the sugar and lemon juice. Stir with a small spoon until the mixture is the texture of wet sand.
2. Leave the cake on the wire rack. Set a small rimmed baking sheet under the cake to catch any drips. Gently brush the top of the cake with the glaze, stirring the glaze each time you dip the brush. Use all of the glaze. Leave to cool completely. Cut into thick slices.