Lemon-mandarin pound cake

[shain]

This makes one not very large cake in an "English cake" pan (26x6.5 cm / 10x2.5 inch).

You may want to double up the recipe and make two

FoOr variation, you can use any citrus, and add mixins such as poppy seeds, candied ginger, sumac, raspberries, etc.

 

Please tell me if you make it, I really hope that you will like it!

 

Lemon-mandarin pound cake

Batter:

• 140g white flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder (7 g)
• 190g white sugar
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt (1.5 g)
• 15-20g fine zest from a lemon and an orange/mandarin
• 160g labaneh or tart Greek yogurt or (5% fat or more)
• 2 large eggs
• 45g olive oil - aromatic, but not too vegetal, you can use natural oil if preferred
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

For syrup:

• 25g sugar 
• apx. 7-6 g of long and thin stripes of peel (zest) from a lemon and an orange/mandarin - see photo below for reference
• Apx. 45g lemon juice

 

Method:

• Heat oven to 170 deg C (340 deg F).  
• Grease one pan.
• Prepare 3 mixing bowl: one of them should be quite large and another should be a mixer bowl to beat the egg whites in.
   
• In the small bowl, measure flour and baking powder.
   
• In the large bowl, mix sugar, fine citrus zest and salt.
• Let it rest while you proceed.
• Separate eggs, placing egg whites in the empty mixer bowl and the yolks in the large bowl with the sugar and zest.
• Add yogurt, vanilla and oil to the bowl with the sugar and yolks.
   
• Beat egg whites to soft peaks.
• Beat yolk-sugar-yogurt mixture until smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Fold the egg white foam into the yolk mixture, until smooth and almost uniform.
• Sieve flour and baking soda mixture over the liquids.
• Fold from the bottom up just until uniform. Do not over mix.
• Pour into greased pan.
• Bake for apx. 45 minutes. A skewer should go out cleanly. The cake should rise to fill the pan and get a tan color. Do not over bake. 
   
• While the cake bakes, make the syrup:
• Mix together sugar and peel stripes (long zest). Mix well for the sugar to draw flavor from the peel.
• Add about the lemon juice and mix well until the sugar dissolves. If it doesn't, heat the syrup very briefly.
• When the cake is out of the oven, pierce it all over with a thin skewer or toothpick.
• Pour the syrup over the cake while it is still hot from the oven.
• Spread the remaining syrup soaked peel strips over the cake.
• Let chill and store in an airtight container, or wrapped in nylon.
   
• For variation, you may add candied orange peel, poppy seeds, mint, raspberries, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 30, 2021 by shain (log)

[ElsieD]

I am going to make this and bought what I needed today.  One question - is 15 to 20 gm the total of the two zests or each?  I'm guessing it is the total but I'd like that confirmed.  Thanks!

[ElsieD]

I did make this using about 15 gm of the two zests in total.  We enjoyed this very much, thanks for posting! 

[zevi]

Sounds interesting to use olive oil......never tried that in cakes before...

 

[shain]

18 hours ago, ElsieD said:

I did make this using about 15 gm of the two zests in total.  We enjoyed this very much, thanks for posting! 

My apologies for not responding in time. I am very happy to know that you enjoyed this cake!

 

The recipe was not clear enough, so I've edited it. I use 15-20g in the batter and an additional ~7g for the syrup.
However, as you noted, this is not an exact amount, and can be adjusted to taste.

[rustwood]

On 3/5/2016 at 7:26 AM, shain said:

This makes one not very large cake in an English cake pan (26x6.5 cm / 10x2.5 inch).

 

I googled this but could not find a pan with those dimension (or even a reference to one).  Just to be clear, is this a 10 x 2.5 x 2 inch pan?  I want to be sure I have something that is at least close to the correct volume - even if I double the recipe.

[shain]

@rustwood I measured the pan I used this time and it  is 11" long, 3.3" wide and 2" tall. The last time I made the recipe, I used a slightly smaller pan - 10" x 2.5".

I hope you will enjoy the recipe!

[rustwood]

Looks like a double recipe will be about right for an 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inch (21 x 11 x 6 cm) loaf pan.  I am not sure when I will get to this, but it will be on my list.