CAKE ULTIME AU CITRON
Ingredients
Le Cake
- 200 g de sucre il n’y a qu’avec cette quantité que le cake fonctionne et cela équilibre le citron
- 120 g de beurre fondu
- 1 zeste de citron jaune
- 165 g d'oeuf
- 150 g de farine
- 80 g de jus de citron
Le Glaçage
- 25 g de jus de citron
- 130 g de sucre glace
Instructions
- Préchauffez votre four à 170°C.
- Faites fondre le beurre au four à micro-ondes ou au bain-marie (plus que sur la photo). Versez le sucre dans un bol avec le beurre et le zeste d’un citron.
- Mélangez sommairement le beurre fondu avec le sucre.
- Ajoutez les 165g d’œuf, en gros 3 œufs moyens.
- Ajoutez la farine et la levure chimique.
- Et enfin le jus de citron.
- Versez la pâte dans un petit moule à cake de 160x80mm (j’ai pris un moule matfer), légèrement beurré. Je ne beurre plus, je vaporise de la graisse de démoulage, puis j’enlève l’excédent avec un papier absorbant.
- Enfournez et laissez cuire 30 à 40 minutes. le gâteau doit être légèrement doré, pas trop gonflé. Vérifiez qu’il est cuit à l’intérieur en plantant un pique à brochette ou une lame de couteau qui devra ressortir sèche. Démoulez-le à l’envers sur une grille.
- Emballez-le immédiatement de film étirable pour qu’il conserve toute son humidité. De cette manière, il gardera sa texture moelleuse et ferme à la fois.
- Laissez le cake refroidir totalement dans son emballage. Quand il est à température ambiante, préparez le glaçage en mélangeant le sucre glace avec le jus de citron.
- Déballez le cake (!!) puis versez le glaçage. Mettez bien sûr une assiette en dessous pour récupérer l’excédent.
- Avec un couteau ou une spatule, lissez le nappage pour qu’il tombe de tous les côtés et surtout pour qu’il soit fin.
- Remettez le cake sur sa grille au four à 100°C pendant 8 minutes pour sécher le glaçage. Si vous touchez le cake à ce moment, il doit être soyeux au toucher: le glaçage est bien sec et très doux.
- Laissez-le refroidir puis dégustez en petites tranches…
Notes
Nutrition
There are on my blog, already several recipes of cakes. With all possible consistencies. There is something to suit all tastes But the other day I tried a lemon cake at a friend’s house, which was THE lemon cake of my dreams. And that got me thinking. I was desperate to get that perfect consistency: that holds together perfectly, even in very thin slices, that stays soft even when left out in the open.
I also wanted the cake not to be puffy but just airy like it should be and especially that it could take a geometric shape, like here the very rectangular pan, without having a big bump due to the puffiness of the batter. I had been wondering for months how to achieve this consistency and already had some clues. When I tasted this cake in the evening, it decided me!
My first attempts were not convincing, even though they tasted good. I also decided not to whisk the elements together: I didn’t whiten the sugar with the eggs or the butter, as is often recommended in professional books. I played with the proportions to get the balance right between the sweetness of the dough and the tartness of the lemon. And there miracle! I got exactly what I wanted! Then add the thin lemon glaze which is dried very quickly in the oven. So let’s be clear, this is THE cake that I love. I just hope you like it too. In any case I share it with you today…
Recipe for the ultimate lemon cake:
-200g of sugar (only with this quantity the cake works and it balances the lemon)
-120g of melted butter
-the zest of a yellow lemon
-165g of egg
-150g of flour
-80g of lemon juice
-half a teaspoon of baking powder
Icing:
-25g of lemon juice
-130g of powdered sugar
Preheat your oven to 170°C.
Melt butter in microwave or double boiler (more than pictured). Pour the sugar into a bowl with the butter and the zest of a lemon.
I see a lot of books, even pros, that call for blanching the sugar with the butter. But for my recipe, I insist, don’t do that! The cake would shrink after baking…!
Roughly mix the melted butter with the sugar.
Add the 165g of egg, roughly 3 medium eggs.
Add the flour and baking powder.
And finally the lemon juice.
Pour the batter into a small 160x80mm cake pan (I used a mat iron pan), lightly buttered. I don’t butter anymore, I spray with release grease, then remove the excess with a paper towel.
If you use a larger pan, you will have to make more dough, the only thing to respect is that it must reach 3/4 of the height of the pan.
You can read more about the release liner in my caneles recipe HERE!
Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes. the cake should be slightly golden, not too puffy. Check that it is cooked inside by sticking a skewer or knife blade into it and it should come out dry. Turn it out upside down on a rack.
Wrap it immediately in cling film so that it retains all its moisture. This way, it will keep its soft and firm texture at the same time.
Let the cake cool completely in its packaging. When it is room temperature, prepare the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar with the lemon juice.
Unwrap the cake (!!) then pour on the icing. Of course, put a plate underneath to catch the excess.
With a knife or spatula, smooth the topping so that it falls on all sides and is especially thin.
Return the cake to its rack in the oven at 100°C for 8 minutes to dry the glaze. If you touch the cake at this point, it should feel silky to the touch: the icing is quite dry and very soft.
Let it cool and then enjoy it in small slices…
