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.

LEMON ZUCCHINI CAKE

01.08.2020: The whole time that I was baking this cake, I wondered what MNR would have to say about this cake as he considered my post on Kheer with Bottlegourd a blasphemy! Hahaha.

Ever since I made Zucchini Boats, Zucchinis have been a staple at my place. I make them atleast once a month and each time I try them out with a different topping. Earlier this month, I craved to eat a nice, lemony cake. As I was mentally going through the list of lemon-based cake recipes I had saved, Radha was rattling off the vegetables we had in our fridge and asked me if I was planning on baking Zucchinis that night. I decided to bake a Zucchini cake.instead. I remembered having seen Zucchini Cake recipes on the internet but never dared to use a vegetable in my cakes earlier.

The Zucchini Chocolate cake seems to be the most popular amongst the Zucchini cakes, this vegetable makes the chocolate cake moist and delicious and you would never ever notice its presence in the cake (so they said). I wanted my Zucchini’s presence to be felt.

So, I zeroed in on the Lemon Zucchini Cake (lemon in it, tadaaaa 😊). I got this recipe from the blog- icecreaminspiration.

The answer is NO. In case you were wondering if you could taste Zucchini in the cake. You get bits of it in your mouth but these by itself lack any distinct taste or flavour. An unsuspecting person would just think it to be lemon rind having lost its tartness in the cake. Is the cake delicious? It ABSOLUTELY is! The cake is moist and the sweet and tangy lemon glaze makes it taste heavenly.

I do not have a loaf tin so I decided to use a glass dish for baking the cake. Please check the bottom of the glassware if it is oven safe before you decide to use one. Metal pans can withstand higher temperatures, hence while using a glass dish, make sure to reduce the heating temperature by about 20C. Also, it takes longer to bake in a glass dish.

After being emboldened by the success of this cake, I also baked an Avocado Cake with Avocado Frosting. More on that in my next post.

Skip was helping me with the photography and after my 10th click, lost patience! 

Skip was excited to eat Zucchini in the cake and wouldn’t let Sky have the second slice until he guessed the vegetable in it. He couldn’t but needless to say he did get the second slice.

Curious about the Avocado cake? Follow me on Facebook and Instagram @lucidlucent and you will know when that post is out.

LEMON ZUCCHINI CAKE

Ingredients:

For the cake:

Granulated sugar : 1 1/3 (One and one thirds) cups

Vegetable oil – ½ cup

Eggs – 2

Buttermilk – ½ cup ( if you don’t have buttermilk at home, refer to recipe notes)

Lemon juice – 2 tbsp

Lemon zest – 1 tbsp

All purpose flour (maida) – 2 cups

Salt – a pinch

Baking powder – 2 tsps

Zucchini (grated) – 1 cup

For the lemon glaze:

Powdered sugar – ½ cup

Lemon juice – 1 tbsp

Milk – 1 tbsp

Method:

1.     Preheat oven and grease a baking dish.  I used a 9*5 baking dish.

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

3.   In a bowl, add eggs and beat them well. Add oil and sugar to the eggs and beat until it is mixed well.

4.     Add buttermilk, lemon juice and lemon zest to the above mixture and blend well.

5.     Add the sieved ingredients and mix only until no lumps are visible.

6.    Add the grated Zucchini and gently fold it into the mixture. Do not over – mix at this stage.

7.     Pour the batter into the dish and bake at for about 40-45 minutes or until done. Remove the cake from the dish and let it cool completely.

8.     For the glaze: mix the sugar, lemon juice and milk and drizzle the liquid over the cake. The glaze will harden in time.

9.     Done.

Recipe Notes:

• How to make Buttermilk at home: Take half a cup of milk and add 2 tsps of vinegar/lemon juice and stir it. Set aside for 10-15 minutes. Voila, you have buttermilk ready.