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East 62nd Street Lemon Cake

East 62nd Street Lemon Cake
Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.), pg. 127-28. Also in Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews McMeel Publishing. 1997 ed.), pg. 22. (2011 ed., pg. 20).
 
This is a popular recipe created by Maida Heatter's daughter. It was printed in the New York Times to much acclaim. I made it this weekend for Michael's cousin who was visiting this weekend from Mississippi. Both she and Michael love lemon and they both approved this recipe. If you like lemon, you'll love this!

Ingredients:

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 cup milk
Finely grated rind of 2 large lemons

The full recipe is available on the Saveur website.

I used a Bundt pan for the recipe but you can also use a tube pan.






When alternately beating the flour mixture with the milk, always begin and end with the flour mixture. Most all recipes say to do this. I am not sure why but there must be a reason!









Glaze

1/3 cup lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar

Whisk together the lemon juice and sugar and brush it over the cake while the cake is still warm.

Let the cake cool completely before transferring to a cake plate. It is best to wait a few hours before cutting the cake.

(Maida notes that key lime juice works in the glaze as well but if doing so, still use the lemon rind for the cake.)

My Notes: The cake was done in 50 minutes (as I've mentioned earlier, my oven always get things done faster than the recipe calls for).  You might think the glaze is excessive (I did) but the cake absorbs it quickly. It turned out excellent. The recipe says that it serves 10 portions but they would have to be extremely large portions. I would say that you can get 15-20 slices easily.


Yum

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Comments

rebecca said…
Oh, Phillip, that looks and sounds so so so good!
December 5, 2011 at 9:04 AM
kate said…
This is SUCH a good cake. I've been making it for thirty odd years, since it appeared in the Times. It's also good in loaf form.
December 6, 2011 at 12:48 PM
Marie Rayner said…
Phillip I love Maida's recipes too. I have her cakes cookbook. I used to work as a Chef for an American family over here, but retired last year. I used to make a special chocolate sauce from one of the Maida books in my boss's collection. It may have been the chocolate desserts book. You wouldn't have the recipe for that would you? It's fabulous and I am missing it. Everything you bake looks decadently delicious! Well done!
December 7, 2011 at 8:26 AM
Phillip Oliver said…
Marie - thanks for the encouragement! I will check my books and see if I can find the chocolate sauce recipe. I think it may be in her chocolate book.
December 7, 2011 at 1:29 PM
Rochelle said…
Your blog is so nice! Although I have several of Maida's books, not all of her recipes are a success for me. This recipe is a no fail however!

If one looks at the structure of the recipe, it is clearly a 1-2-3-4 cake - i cup fat, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, 4 eggs PLUS liquid [anything from 1/4 to 1 cup, flavorings, and leavening [baking soda or powder]. The glaze is an optional component for this formula. You can experiment and make a lot of excellent cakes with this formula. You can sub cake flour for the all purpose too. You can add cocoa and subtract the same amount of flour too.
March 22, 2012 at 2:37 AM
Rochelle said…
Forgot to add: this 1-2-3-4 cake is also the basis of the Jewish Apple Cake. In that recipe, usually the fat is oil, the liquid is orange juice and about 1/4 to 1/2 cup, and several cups of sliced peeled apples are macerated first in a cinnamon sugar mixture, then stirred into or layered with the batter. Chopped walnuts &/or raisins are optional.
March 22, 2012 at 2:45 AM
Phillip Oliver said…
Thanks Rochelle! I had not thought of it that way and that is great advice. The main problem I've encountered with Maida's recipes are the baking times. They are always way too long for my oven. I've learned to cut it back at least 15 minutes and watch it carefully. She must have had a really slow oven.
March 22, 2012 at 7:14 AM
Katy said…
This cake is the best! Love all Maida's recipes!
May 5, 2015 at 7:39 AM
Sue I. said…
I've made this one a couple of times and it's always a hit (and feeds a crowd). I love your blog. I am thinking of making the Budapest Coffee Cake next, but there are so many choices.
November 23, 2015 at 10:06 AM
GMaxfield said…
Hello! I just discovered your blog today after hearing you on NPR. Now, I want to take tomorrow off so I can bake all day! I live in Wyoming, and am curious if you have advice for those of us at high altitudes.
September 20, 2020 at 4:46 PM
GMaxfield said…
Hello! I just discovered your blog today after hearing you on NPR. Now, I want to take tomorrow off so I can bake all day! I live in Wyoming, and am curious if you have advice for those of us at high altitudes.
September 20, 2020 at 4:47 PM
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