Meyer Lemon Breakfast Cake
When I moved to Nashville, I went to the store and bought oranges. It was horrifying. Growing up in Florida, I was lucky enough to grab bags full of citrus off the trees of friendly neighbors. I also used to live down the street from an orange grove, so I got used to the sweet, tart oranges bursting with floral notes. To my shock and horror, my first bite into the grocery store oranges were met with notes of water, pith, and overall flavorless juice.
Since my childhood, those neighbors have passed away or sold their homes. And the orange grove never quite recovered from an arsonist who lit their barn on fire. Sadly, it’s now an apartment complex. So last time I was in Orlando, I made a few calls and we took a 30 minutes drive to a local pomelo grove to pick a few. It was nostalgic for me, and my daughter had the most fun running around the grove and pointing out which fruit looked best. We came home and supremed them, enjoying the gorgeous pink and green fruit with breakfast each morning.
One thing I didn’t discover until I started baking, about 10 years ago, was Meyer lemons. Their rich similarities to pomelos brought me back to Florida, and I recently learned that they are in fact, a citron, pomelo and mandarin hybrid. It was love at first taste, as Meyer lemons have a distinct floral richness to them, and their skin is so bright it’s almost orange. I’ve always baked lemon bars with them, but this year I decided to make breakfast cake. While the bars are bright and intensely tart and sweet, the cake is moist and tender, and more subtle in its flavors.
Brew that rich cup of coffee, poach a few eggs with flaky salt, cut a thick slice of this gorgeous cake, and you’re in business. Fair warning, you are definitely going to need another slice with your afternoon coffee.
Meyer Lemon Breakfast Cake
Ingredients
Cake
1 stick butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 heaping cup sour cream
3 Meyer lemons, zest only
1 Meyer lemon, juice only
Frosting
2 Meyer lemons, juice only
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
1-2 tablespoons water, room temperature
1-2 tablespoons poppyseeds, optional
Process
Preheat oven to 350F.
Cream butter, sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and turn mixer on medium for 1-2 minutes at a time. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add into wet ingredients in three parts, being sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl each time.
Fold in sour cream until just blended. Add lemon juice and zest, and fold again until just combined. Pour batter into a well sprayed and parchment lined 9x5-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350F for 50-60 min or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean or with a few wet crumbs. Let cool for 30-45 minutes and then loosen and remove from pan. Transfer cake to wire wrack and let cool completely.
To make frosting, whisk together Meyer lemon juice, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla and almond extract. Frosting should be very thick at this point, depending on the size of your lemons. Frosting consistency should be thick enough that when you stir it or drizzle it back into the bowl, it will hold its shape for a quick second before mixing evenly back into the bowl. If you need to thin it out, add one teaspoon of water at a time to frosting until desired consistency is reached. Once consistency is correct, add poppyseeds. Place a parchment lined sheet pan under the wire rack holding the cooled cake to catch frosting. Pour frosting evenly over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Let dry for about 20 minutes and then serve.
Store for 3-4 days at room temperature in a container with lid slightly cracked to prevent frosting from melting.