Name: Crystallized Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake
Yield: 12
Ingredients: Butter and flour for the pan; 3 cups all-purpose flour (14.2 oz / 405g); 2½ teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt; ½ teaspoon baking soda; 1 cup whole milk (8.5 oz / 240g), at room temperature; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; ¾ cup Meyer lemon juice (6 oz / 170g), divided; 1 tablespoon finely grated Meyer lemon zest, from about 2 lemons; 1¾ cups plus ⅔ cup sugar (17 oz / 483g); 4 large eggs (7 oz / 200g), at room temperature; 1⅓ cups plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (11.5 oz / 327g)

Crystallized Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake

Tags: Dessert

Yield: 12

Ingredients

Butter and flour for the pan
3 cups all-purpose flour (14.2 oz / 405g)
2½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup whole milk (8.5 oz / 240g), at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup Meyer lemon juice (6 oz / 170g), divided
1 tablespoon finely grated Meyer lemon zest, from about 2 lemons
1¾ cups plus ⅔ cup sugar (17 oz / 483g)
4 large eggs (7 oz / 200g), at room temperature
1⅓ cups plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (11.5 oz / 327g)

Steps

PREHEAT THE OVEN AND PREPARE THE PAN: Arrange an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the inside of a 12-cup metal Bundt pan with room temperature butter, making sure to coat every facet and crevice. Dust the inside with several pinches of flour, then shake and tilt the pan in all directions to coat the buttered surfaces completely. Tap out any excess flour and set the pan aside.
MIX THE DRY INGREDIENTS: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda to combine. Set aside.
MIX THE WET INGREDIENTS: In a separate medium bowl or 2-cup liquid measuring cup, stir together the milk, vanilla, and ¼ cup (2 oz / 57g) of the Meyer lemon juice. Set aside.
BEAT THE EGGS AND SUGAR, THEN STREAM IN THE OIL: In a large bowl, combine the lemon zest and 1¾ cups (12.3 oz / 350g) of the sugar and massage the mixture with your fingertips until it’s fragrant and looks like wet sand. Add the eggs and beat with a hand mixer on medium-low speed until the eggs are broken up, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is light, thick, and mousse-y, about 3 minutes. Beating constantly, very gradually stream in 1⅓ cups (10.5 oz / 99g) of the olive oil and continue to beat just until the mixture is smooth, thick, and emulsified.
MAKE THE BATTER: Reduce the mixer speed to low and add about one-third of the dry ingredients, mixing just until the flour disappears, then stream in half of the milk mixture and mix until combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients in two additions, alternating with the remaining milk mixture, and mix just until you have a smooth, thick batter with no traces of flour. Switch to a flexible spatula and fold the batter several times, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, to make sure it’s evenly mixed.
BAKE: Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and bake until the top is risen, split, and golden brown, and a skewer or cake tester inserted into the tallest part of the cake comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Set the cake aside to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
MEANWHILE, MAKE THE GLAZE: In a small bowl, combine the remaining ½ cup (4 oz / 113g) Meyer lemon juice, ⅔ cup (4.7 oz / 133g) granulated sugar, and 2 tablespoons olive oil and stir vigorously with a fork or whisk to dissolve some of the sugar.
GLAZE THE CAKE: While the cake is still hot inside the pan, use a toothpick to poke holes all over the surface, then generously brush some of the glaze over the top to soak it. Use a paring knife to cut down carefully between the cake and the pan all the way around and along the inner tube to loosen it. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, lift away the Bundt pan, and set the rack on a sheet pan to catch drips. Poke more holes across the entire surface and brush with the remaining glaze. It will seem like too much liquid, but keep applying it layer by layer until you’ve used it all, letting the cake absorb it gradually. Use the brush to pick up drips of glaze from the sheet pan and reapply to the cake. Let it cool completely.

Notes

Can I…
Make it ahead? Yes. The cake, well wrapped and stored at room temperature, will keep for up to 1 week and will improve in flavor and texture over the first couple of days.
Make it with regular lemons? Yes. You can substitute regular lemon juice for the Meyer lemon juice but decrease the quantity to ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 oz / 142g), adding 2 tablespoons to the wet ingredients and ½ cup (4 oz / 113g) to the glaze. (Note that the lemon juice will cause the milk to curdle, but this won’t affect the recipe.) Use an equal quantity of regular lemon zest.
Bake this in a different pan? Not recommended (except for a tube pan). This cake needs lots of surface area where the glaze can soak in and crystallize, so a Bundt or tube pan works best.
Use a stand mixer instead of a hand mixer? Yes. Use your fingertips to massage the zest and 1¾ cups (12.3 oz / 350g) of the sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, then add the eggs and proceed with the recipe as written.