Lemon Tea Cake

There's a lovely little bakery in the Ferry Building in San Francisco called Miette.  They make "pretty food," things that look fragile and perfect, but it turns out they taste pretty good, too.  So I bought the cookbook, and it's even got scalloped edges on the pages.  The cakes I've made from it are delicious, moist and flavorful, and the techniques are very particular, often with many steps and always making a ferocious mess in the kitchen.  This one is the simplest of them, and it only makes a medium-sized mess, so have no fear.
It's really a lemon pound cake, with lemon simple syrup poured into it, and then a lemon glaze.  Very lemony.  It fills the bill when you are looking for something a little less sweet, or to break the monotony of the chocolate desserts :) in the treat drawer.

Miette specializes in little cakes, and this recipe makes either two 8"x4" or four 5"x3" loaves.

Before you begin, you will need to make some simple syrup.

LEMON SIMPLE SYRUP

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar

In a small saucepan, combine water, lemon juice and sugar and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Be sure to bring it to a full boil.

Let cool and store tightly sealed in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.  Makes 3/4 cup.

LEMON TEA CAKE

2 1/2 cups (12 ounces) AP flour
1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
5 large whole eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 Tablespoons grated lemon zest
1 1/3 cups (11 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed
1/2-3/4 cup Lemon Simple Syrup

Glaze:

2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon corn syrup
1 1/3 cups (5 ounces) sifted powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Liberally butter pans and dust with sifted flour.  Tap out the excess flour.

In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. [ I haven't found a mechanical sifter that makes me happy, so I use a strainer and a spoon.  Simple and cheap.]  Set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the cream, egg yolks, whole eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest.  Set aside.

Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment, and mix the dry ingredients on low speed for 30 seconds.  Add the butter, and mix at low speed for 1 minute.

Add half of the egg mixture and beat until incorporated, about 1 minute.

Add the remaining egg mixture, and beat just until incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans.

Bake until the tops of the loaves are golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  This cake is an exception to the slightly under-baking rule because you will be infusing it with the simple syrup, which will moisten the center.  The small loaves may take about 40 minutes, and the large ones 50 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and make holes in the top with a toothpick, at about 1-inch intervals, so that the syrup will go into the center of the cake.  You can brush the tops with the lemon syrup (or if you have a pan with a spout, you can carefully pour it).

Let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes.  Run an offset spatula around the edges of the pans, then invert the cakes onto the racks and let cool for about 40 minutes longer until completely cooled.  (To freeze, wrap the cakes tightly in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 2 month.  Thaw at room temperature.)

Meanwhile, make the glaze:  In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and corn syrup.  Sprinkle in the powdered sugar, a little at a time, whisking constantly, until the glaze is thick and silky.  You may not need all of the sugar.  Glaze the cooled cakes and let the glaze dry, about 30 minutes.

Serve right away, or wrap the cakes tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature until ready to serve.