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slice of citrus loaf cake

Easy Citrus Ginger Loaf Cake

This Easy Citrus Loaf Cake is moist, dense, and totally delicious. Like pound cake, only better. It's got lemon, orange, and crystallized ginger to give it flavor, plus incredible texture. Try it now.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Author Laura

Ingredients

  • 1 & 1/3 cups sugar
  • 3 -4 tablespoons candied or crystallized ginger, minced
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 pinch salt
  • zest from 1 lemon
  • zest from 1 navel or similar orange
  • 1 & 3/4 cups cake flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 5 & 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted & cooled

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a loaf pan (9-inch by 5-inch) well. Optional if the loaf pan is not non-stick - after buttering, dust with flour and shake out any excess flour

  2. Mix the candied or crystallized ginger into the sugar, preferably with a food processor. 

  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and pinch of salt for about 1-2 minutes, until well blended. Add in the lemon and orange zest. 

    Orange and lemon zest for citrus loaf cake

  4. In a smaller bowl, whisk or sift together the flour and baking powder. Use a sifter or a strainer (so the dry ingredients do not clump) to add the flour/baking powder into the wet ingredients in three portions. Whisk the ingredients together after each addition only until barely combined. 

    Dry and wet ingredients for citrus loaf cake, before combining them

  5. Once the dry ingredients are added in, whisk the heavy cream into the batter. Then gently incorporate the melted and cooled butter, using a rubber spatula rather than the whisk. 

  6. Using the spatula, put the matter into the loaf pan and bake for about 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. The cake should create a significant hump or crown as it bakes. After removing it from the oven, let the cake rest in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then unmold it and continue to let it cool. 

Recipe Notes

Like pound cakes, this citrus loaf cake will actually improve in taste after it rests for a day. It will stay moist for several days, well wrapped, at room temperature. You can also freeze it, well wrapped.