EGGLESS LEMON LOAF

21.09.2020: I have been spending more time on trying to click better pictures for the blog and have painstakingly been segregating items of clothing, showpieces, utensils for these pictures. As I go through other blogs, scrutinising their pictures, I make a mental note to purchase dried rose petals, bits of jute with frayed ends, black serving dishes, wooden slabs, bark coasters…. Pheew! While these items continue to remain on my Amazon  wishlist, I continue using random sweaters and leaves for my photography.

As I scrolled through my gallery looking for appealing food pictures to post on the blog, I realised the old ones did not match up to the current ‘pretty’ ones. The next morning, I took the butter out of the freezer and placed it on the kitchen slab. When Skip spotted it, he jumped with joy saying “cake, cake”. I told him I was not to be disturbed as I wanted to bake this soon and get back to my office work.

I have gotten quite adventurous during this period of work from home. Yes! Eggless baking is me being experimental. :D I came across this wonderful recipe for the eggless Lemon Loaf on Love and Flour by Pooja.

I love lemony desserts. The tangier it is, the more appealing I find it.

This cake is so buttery soft with the perfect hint of sweetness and citrusy flavour. The lemon frosting is tangy and the kind that gets you smacking your lips after a bite. Mmhhmm… so good.

Mamma asked me what the egg substitute was and from what I’ve read on the net, typically yoghurt, banana, condensed milk or flax seeds is used. I suppose the combination of milk and lemon (which is how I make Buttermilk at home for bakes) makes this cake so fluffy and crumbly.

Do try it out and if you enjoy it as well, you know what to do 😉.

EGGLESS LEMON LOAF

Ingredients:

All-purpose flour (maida) – 250 gms (1 ¾ cups )

Baking powder – 1.5 tsp

Baking soda – ¼ tsp

Salt – a pinch

Butter – 113 gms (1/2 cup)

Castor sugar – 200 gms( 1 ¼ cup)

Vanilla extract – 1 tsp

Milk – 100 ml (3/4 cup)

Lemon juice – 50 ml (slightly lesser than ¼ of a cup)

Lemon zest – 1 tbsp

For the glaze:

Icing sugar – ½ cup OR powdered sugar + 1 tsp cornflour

Milk – 1 tbsp

Lemon juice – 1 ½ - 2 tbsp

Method:

1.     Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease and prepare the baking dish.

2.     Sieve the flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Set aside.

3.     In a mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and butter until it is light and fluffy.

4.     Add the vanilla, lemon juice and zest to the butter mixture and mix well.

5.  To the above mixture, add the dry ingredients and milk alternately, whisking a little after each addition. Mix until streaks of flour disappear. DO NOT OVERMIX.

6.     Transfer the batter ( batter will be thick) to the dish and bake at 180 C for about 40 minutes or until done.

7.     For the icing: Add the milk to the sugar and mix well. Add the lemon juice and give it a good mix.

8.     Once the cake cools completely, drizzle the lemon frosting on it.

9.     Done.

Recipe Notes:

•      I didn’t have castor sugar at home. So, I used coarsely ground granulated sugar.
•     You can use plain powdered sugar as well for the lemon frosting.
•      I like lemony, tangy frosting and added about 2 tbsps of lemon juice to the frosting. You may adjust the quantity of the lemon juice to suit your taste.