The simple supper · 35 minutes
Roast tomatoes, good bread, nothing more
Cherry tomatoes roasted until they collapse, spooned over thick toast with olive oil and a little ricotta. Supper in half an hour, most of it hands-off.
Something sweet · 55 minutes
A lemon cake for the kitchen counter
A plain, sharp, buttery loaf soaked with lemon syrup. It sits under a cloth on the counter and disappears one slice at a time over a few days.
- Prep
- 15 minutes
- Cook
- 40 minutes
- Total
- 55 minutes
- Serves
- 8 slices
Every kitchen should have a cake that needs no occasion. This one is sharp enough to wake you up with a cup of tea and plain enough to serve after dinner with a spoonful of cream.
The trick is the syrup. It goes on while the cake is hot, so the crumb drinks it up and the crust turns slightly crackly. Don’t rush that part.
Method
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan and line the base with parchment.
Rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is damp and fragrant. Add the butter and beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes with an electric mixer.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between additions. The mixture may look slightly curdled; that’s fine.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together, then fold half into the batter. Fold in the milk, then the remaining flour, stopping as soon as no dry streaks remain.
Scrape into the pan, level the top, and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden and a skewer comes out clean. If the top browns too quickly, tent it loosely with foil.
While the cake bakes, warm the lemon juice and sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves. Don’t let it boil.
As soon as the cake comes out, prick it all over with a skewer and spoon the syrup slowly over the top, letting each spoonful soak in before the next. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a rack.
Notes
- The cake is better on the second day, once the syrup has settled. Keep it wrapped or under a cloche at room temperature for up to four days.
- For a sharper edge, add the zest of a third lemon to the sugar.
