Glazed Meyer Lemon Snack Cake

I have been a fan of snack cakes for years (see Chocolate Chip Snack Cake and Powdered Sugar Snack Cake), and am excited to now have a Meyer Lemon version to add to the mix.

This recipe comes from Bake From Scratch Vol 5, which was just released.

This new volume is a lovely collection of recipes, and I have a few of my own included (such as Cranberry Streusel Bars, Pumpkin Blondies, and Chocolate Orange Sables). 

A couple things: 

*Zoë François has a new cookbook coming out, along with a television series. Her new book is entitled “Zoë Bakes Cake” and you can find it here. I photographed the “how-to” pictures in this book, and highly recommend it; Zoë is an amazing baker and her recipes are incredible. 

*100 Cookies was nominated for a Minnesota Book Award! You can read about the other nominations here, as well as an interview I did for the Minnesota Daily.

More Snack Cake Recipes:

• Powdered Donut Cake
• Walnut Snack Cake with Raspberry Buttercream
• Chocolate Chip Snack Cake

Glazed Meyer Lemon Snack Cake

Servings: 1 9-inch cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

This zesty poppy seed-speckled cake is just as at perfect for breakfast table as it is served as the dinner finale. A mix of whole milk and Meyer lemon juice gives it an unbelievably tender crumb while imbuing every bite with the Meyer lemon's unique floral flavor. The Crème Fraîche Glaze rounds out this cake's sweet notes with welcome tanginess.

Sarah Kieffer

4.52 from 56 votes

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Ingredients

Meyer Lemon Cake

• 3/4 cup [170 g] unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups [300 g] granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons packed Meyer lemon zest
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups [281 g] unbleached cake flour
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup [240 g] whole milk at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons fresh Meyer lemon juice

Crème Fraîche Glaze

• 2 cups [240 g] confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 cup [60 g] crème fraîche
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh Meyer lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Poppy seeds for sprinkling

Equipment

• 9 inch square cake pan

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F [180C]. Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with baking spray with flour. Line with parchment paper, letting excess extend over sides of pan; lightly spray parchment.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, best butter, sugar, and lemon zest at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. (Mixture may look slightly broken at this point, but batter will come together.)
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and lemon juice. (Juice will cause milk to curdle slightly, and that is okay.) With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with milk mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Spoon batter into prepared pan, smoothing into an even layer. Tap pan on your work surface several times to settle batter and release any air bubbles.
• Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Use the parchment sling to remove the cake from the pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack.
• Pour the Crème Fraîche Glaze onto the cooled cake; using a small offset spatula, spread into an even layer. Garnish with poppy seeds and lemon zest, if desired.
• For the Glaze: In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients until smooth. Use immediately.
  

Notes

*Adding fresh Meyer lemon juice to milk creates a buttermilk-like mixture, which means more Meyer lemon flavor in this deliciously moist cake.

*Meyer lemons have a distinct, slightly floral flavor profile. Therefore, if substituting regular lemons, note that the final product will taste different.