A delicious twist on a classic favorite, this lemon and rosemary loaf cake is packed full of that sharp sweetness we all know and love with a delicious herby twist from the rosemary that will have people coming back for more.
Equipment
- Bowl
- Mixer
- Spatula
- Zester
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- 9”x5” loaf pan
- Parchment Paper
- Small pot
- Whisk
- Fine Mesh Sieve
- Pastry Brush
- Skewer
- Wire Cooling Rack
Ingredients
CAKE
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 3 medium lemons zested
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 cups flour sifted
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder sifted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup fresh rosemary finely chopped (see notes if using dried rosemary)
SYRUP
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2, 2- inch sprigs fresh rosemary or ½ tbsp dried
GLAZE
- 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar sifted
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F, grease a 9”x5” loaf pan and line with parchment
- In a large bowl, use a mixer to beat together your sugar and softened butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. The color of the mixture will lighten
- Add in your eggs, beating in one at a time to make sure fully incorporated before adding in your zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Mix until combined
- In a separate bowl, sift in your flour and baking powder before whisking in your salt and finely chopped rosemary
- Add a third of your dry mixture into your wet ingredients, and mix on low speed until just combined. Then add half of your sour cream and mix in. Repeat with the next third of your dry mixture, then the remainder of your sour cream, and then the last of your dry. Mix until just combined, do not over-mix!
- Pour into your prepared loaf pan and spread out evenly
- Bake for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Do not open the oven earlier than the 45-minute mark!
- While your cake is baking prep your simple syrup. In a small pot, combine your lemon juice and sugar. Whisk over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 2-3 minutes. Once the sugar is dissolved, add in your fresh rosemary sprigs and bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature before straining out your rosemary sprigs.
- Allow the cake to cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes before placing it on a wire rack. Use a toothpick to carefully poke holes all along the top and sides of your loaf. We’re not trying to massacre the loaf here but make little delicious tunnels for our syrup
- Use a pastry brush to brush all of the syrup into the loaf along the top and sides, do not leave any syrup in the pot! Allow the loaf to cool completely
- Once your loaf is cool, whisk your lemon juice and powdered sugar in a bowl until your glaze is smooth
- Pour the glaze over your cooled cake, allowing it to drip down the sides
- Let set for at least 15 minutes then slice and enjoy!
Notes
*If you don’t have fresh rosemary, you can use dried for this recipe. Substitute for 2 tablespoons dried but we still want it finer than how it comes in the bottle. Place your dried rosemary in a mini food processor and pulse 4-5x for 10 sec each until chopped up. You don’t want it ground, but you want them about ⅓ - ¼ of the size they were in the jar.
*Do not open your oven until at least the 45-minute mark, if you want to check on your loaf. Open it too early and you risk collapsing your loaf!
*When mixing your lemon glaze, you might think it’s a little thick. It should be pourable (though questionably so) but not runny. You don’t want it to run right off of your loaf! You’re welcome to add a little more lemon juice if desired but do so sparingly.
*Once glazed, allow your cake time for the frosting to fully set. If you’re ok with it being a little runny you do you, but it’s easier to slice and serve when the frosting holds on top of the loaf.
