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Lemon-Spice Visiting Cake

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Ingredients
  

For the Cake:

  • Butter and flour for the pan
  • 1-½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1-¼ tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. ground cardamom
  • ½ tsp. ground ginger
  • ½ tsp. fine sea salt
  • 1-¼ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 large lemon
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • ½ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
  • 1-½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 5-½ tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the Glaze:

  • ⅓ cup orange marmalade, for glaze, optional
  • ½ tsp. water, for glaze, optional

Instructions
 

To prepare the cake:

  • Center a rack in the oven and pre-heat to 350°F.
  • Butter an 8-1/2-inch loaf pan; dust with sugar and tap out the excess - for this cake, bakers’ spray isn’t as good as butter and sugar; place on a baking sheet.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk the 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, cardamom, ginger and salt together.
  • In a large bowl, place the sugar and grate the zest of the lemon over the sugar.
  • Squeeze the lemon to produce 3 tablespoons juice; set aside.
  • Using your fingers, rub the sugar and zest together until the mixture is moist and aromatic.
  • One at a time, add the eggs, whisking well after each.
  • Whisk in the juice, followed by the heavy cream.
  • Still using the whisk, gently stir the dry ingredients into the batter in two additions.
  • Stir the vanilla into the melted butter, and then gradually blend the butter into the batter; the batter will be thick and have a beautiful sheen.
  • Scrape it into the loaf pan.
  • Place in pre-heated oven and bake for 70 to 75 minutes (if the cake looks as if it’s getting too dark too quickly, tent it loosely with foil) or until a tester inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  • Remove from oven and transfer to a rack; let rest for 5 minutes; carefully run a blunt knife between the sides of the cake and the pan; invert onto the rack, and turn over.
  • Glaze now, or cool to room temperature.

To prepare the glaze:

  • In a small saucepan, bring the marmalade and water to a boil.
  • Brush the glaze over the top of the warm cake, and allow to it to set for 2 hours.
  • The glaze will remain slightly tacky.

To store the cake:

  • When the cake is completely cool, wrap in plastic to store.
  • If it’s glazed, wrap loosely on top.

Notes

With this, as with any cake or sweet bread, prep the pan with butter and sugar. Yes, sugar, which adds a crunchy note, and has never, ever produced a stuck loaf or cake.