Coffee Shop Cranberry Lemon Loaf Cake

I'm kind of cheap when it comes to coffee.

If I really have to buy it on the go, because I've got an exam in two hours and I'm drifting slowly away from this mortal realm, I'll go for whatever's the cheapest. And that is definitely not going to be Starbucks.

Even if I do end up buying coffee at a more expensive place (like Starbucks) I can't ever justify to myself any frills. The rack of pastries on the front counter look nice, but paying three dollars or so for a slice of loaf cake just ain't right. Still, on my most recent beverage-related splurge (I really wanted to try a matcha frappucino... I wonder if I can make that at home?) I noticed the sunny, bright yellow, sugar crusted lemon loaf and couldn't stop thinking about it.

Drippy icing looks nice on these sorts of cakes.

It's not my usual baking style, but it's fun to try something all-American every now and then. This cake is pretty damn sweet, but in a good way- the sugariness of it is balanced by the tartness and aromaticity of the lemon pretty well. It's dense, moist, and looks pretty, too. Of course, I added dried cranberries, because I really like lemon and cranberry together... there's a certain bakery near my house that makes the best cranberry-lemon muffins, but that's something I'll need to experiment with further before I can reproduce it.

What makes this cake so different from your average pound cake, though? I'm putting it down to the use of vegetable oil. The oil stays liquid at room temperature and thus keeps the cake moist, and because you can't cream it to capture air bubbles in the batter, it also contributes to the density of the cake. It doesn't taste as good as butter, mind you- but here that's alright, since the focus is on the lemon flavours.

Mmmmmmmoist. And yellow!

You'll need one very big or two regular lemons to make this cake. Keep or omit the cranberries- or try something completely different like blueberries or dried cherries.

Coffee Shop Cranberry Lemon Loaf Cake
Source: food.com, recipe by Air Force Mama

1 1/2 C. All purpose flour
1/2 Tsp. Baking powder
1/2 Tsp. Baking soda
1/2 Tsp. Salt
3 Eggs, room temperature
1 C. Sugar
2 TBSP Softened, unsalted butter
1 Tsp. Vanilla
2 Tsp. Lemon extract
1/3 C. Lemon juice
1/2 C. Neutral (favourless) oil, such as grapeseed or canola
Zest of one lemon
1/2 C. Dried cranberries (optional)

Glaze:
(I made only half this amount since the cake itself was sweet enough.)
1 C. Powdered sugar
2 TBSP Milk
1/2 Tsp. Lemon extract

Preheat the oven to 180℃. Grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan and line it with parchment paper. Grease the paper, and if desired, sprinkle with a bit of granulated sugar to give the cake a crunchy crust (you can also use flour).

Mix the flour, baking soda and powder, and salt, and set aside.

Mix the eggs and sugar well. Add the butter, extracts and lemon juice.

Blend the wet ingredients into the dry ones. Once the mixture is smooth, add the oil and lemon zest, and cranberries if using.

Pour into the pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a fork can be poked into the cake and come out clean.

Prepare the glaze just by whisking the lot together until smooth. If your powdered sugar is clumpy, you'll want to sift it first.

Let cool about 15 minutes before removing from pan, and let cool completely before glazing. Just dollop the glaze onto the top of the cake and let it drip onto the sides.