Meyer Lemon Sumac Cake
Fluffy and tender cake flavored with the floral notes of meyer lemons and a sour pop of ground sumac. This cake is sweet and tart and is soaked in a lemon syrup to accentuate that sharp contrast in flavor.
Fluffy and tender cake flavored with the floral notes of meyer lemons and a sour pop of ground sumac. This cake is sweet and tart and is soaked in a lemon syrup to accentuate that sharp contrast in flavor.
Meyer Lemon Cake
One of my favorite desserts ever is Ina’s lemon cake. It’s not the cake part that gets me, it’s the lemony syrup that the cake is soaked in. It makes the edges both super sweet and sharp, and the combination is my absolute dessert weakness. If you like lemon curd you’d like the syrup; both have that addictive quality of perfectly balanced sugar and acid.
This cake was made with Ina’s in mind. Here, meyer lemons. I did tell you I had a few bags in the kitchen I needed to use up. Meyers are more floral than a regular lemon, a little less tart and less acidic – hence the addition of sumac to the batter. What is sumac? Sumac is a fruit ground into a spice, typically used in salads, on meats, and you’ve likely seen it sprinkled on hummus.
Why this Sumac Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake is so good!
So you might be thinking, if sumac is a spice used as a dry rub or on salads why use it in a cake? Well, adding sumac to a baked good helps to accentuate the citrus’ tart quality. I’ve found it goes really well with the floral, mildly acidic meyers and, it also adds a beautiful, natural pretty pink pop to the cake!
The combination of sumac and meyer lemon here is a perfect harmony. The interior of the cake, thanks to yogurt and lots of air beaten into the sugar and butter is very tender. The edges are squishy with the yummiest syrup ever. For toppings, I’ve done powdered sugar on top or a glaze but really it’s just for looks, the cake doesn’t need it as it strikes that perfect balance between sweet and sour.
Key Ingredients for Sumac Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake
- Meyer Lemons: If you cannot find meyer lemons, you can make the cake with orange juice and zest. Meyer’s are somewhere between an orange and a lemon and with the addition of sumac you are looking at a very fitting substitute. I would however, use regular lemons for the syrup in this case – the sharpness of that syrup is what really brings this cake home and the orange won’t have enough to do the job.
- Sumac : I always buy it from nearby middle eastern stores but if there aren’t any in your vicinity, this is the one I’d recommend on amazon. You might think why buy a big pack for just one cake? But you are going to LOVE it. You’ll be putting it on your salads everyday!
Recipe for Sumac Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake
Note: this recipe can be halved and baked in loaf pan.
Sumac Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Meyer Lemon Sumac Cake
- 2 cups sugar 420g
- 1 cup butter 226g
- Zest of 3 meyer lemons
- 4 eggs
- 375 g all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons meyer lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon sumac
Meyer Lemon Syrup
- ½ cup sugar 100g
- ½ cup meyer lemon juice
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 10 cup bundt pan.
- Beat together the sugar, zest, , sumac, vanilla, salt and butter until very light and pale.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for a full 30 seconds before adding another.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the flour and baking powder.
- In another bowl whisk together the lemon juice and yogurt.
- Add dry ingredients to mixer bowl and beat on low. Once it begins to incorporate add the wet ingredients.
- Beat until the batter is fully mixed together, scraping the bottom to ensure all bottom bits are mixed in.
- Scoop batter into prepared bundt pan. Smooth over the batter.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool briefly in the pan while you prepare the syrup. If you have a long thin cake tester like this, poke some holes in the cake.
- In a small pot, cook together the sugar and lemon juice until the sugar is melted and the mix begins to boil.
- Once it’s done, shut off the heat and pour the syrup over the cake while it’s still in the pan.
- Let the syrup set into the cake for about 10 minutes. Then turn the cake over onto a cooling rack and pour the rest of the syrup on top.
- Once cake is cool and syrup is set, dust with powdered sugar or make a glaze.
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