Lemon Morning Cake
It's a sunny morning whenever a slice of this cake is on your plate! You can really taste the sunshine in each and every bite of this Lemon Morning Cake, with the lemon flavor infusing both the golden, vibrant, and tender cake, as well as the crunchy streusel-like topping! It's like the most optimistic coffee cake ever made! Let Lemon Morning Cake make your morning as magical as a sunbeam!
Ingredients
- ***For the crumble topping:***
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- zest of 1 lemon
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ***For the cake:***
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
- zest from 2 lemons
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more, to taste, for greasing the pan
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more, to taste, for dusting the pan
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, well shaken
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- powdered sugar, optional, to taste, for dusting
Directions
- 1
Combine 1/3 cup of the sugar and the zest of 1 lemon in a small food processor.
- 2
Pulse until the zest is incorporated into the sugar and the sugar is a pale-yellow color.
- 3
Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a small bowl.
- 4
Add 3/4 cup of the flour, the lemon sugar, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice to the melted butter and mix with a fork to combine. Set the crumble topping aside.
- 5
In a small food processor, add 1/2 of the remaining sugar and the remaining lemon zest and pulse until the sugar is a light-yellow color. Set aside.
- 6
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- 7
Invert the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan and lock on the sides of the pan. Turning the pan bottom upside down will make it easier to slide the cake from the pan.
- 8
Using the extra butter and the extra flour, lightly grease and dust the bottom and sides of the pan.
- 9
Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper.
- 10
In a small bowl, combine the remaining flour, the salt, and the baking powder. Set aside.
- 11
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the remaining butter, the remaining granulated sugar, and the lemon sugar.
- 12
Beat the butter and sugar mixture until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- 13
Add the eggs, one at a time, to the butter mixture, blending well after each addition.
- 14
Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated.
- 15
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and blend again.
- 16
In a measuring cup with a spout, combine the buttermilk and the remaining lemon juice.
- 17
Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar mixture and beat on low until incorporated.
- 18
Add 1/3 of the buttermilk mixture and blend until smooth.
- 19
Repeat the adding and beating process until all of the flour and the buttermilk are incorporated, making sure not to overmix.
- 20
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it out evenly.
- 21
Sprinkle the crumble topping over the batter, leaving some of it in large clumps.
- 22
Bake until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 40-50 minutes.
- 23
Cool the cake on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes.
- 24
Carefully remove the sides of the pan and slide the cake onto a serving platter.
- 25
Dust with the powdered sugar and serve.