Meyer Lemon Coffeecake |

It is citrus season my friends! And what better way to celebrate than buying 3 pounds of meyer lemons and making everything you can possibly think of with them. Well, that’s what I did… but you don’t need 3 pounds of meyer lemons to make this coffee cake, don’t worry.

This cake comes from Martha Stewart’s semi-new cakes book. It can be made in a 9-inch tube pan, a 9 inch cake pan or two 6 inch cake pans. I did the last option so I could give one to my neighbor and keep one for myself. My cute little old man neighbor keeps snowblowing our section of the side walk, even through the snowpocalypse last week! And he always does it on the sly when we aren’t home… I needed a way to thank him, and what better way than a little sunshine lemon coffeecake in his mailbox!

I love recipes that make two things – two loafs, two cakes, two dozen cookies. One for yourself and one to give or freeze. As I write this I realize that I could really just double any recipe and have two… but that just seems like less fun.

Tips for this recipe: Blanch the heck out of those lemons! The recipe said to blanch them twice, but I would do it 3 or even 4 times, then taste one! If it still tastes bitter, cut the rind off the lemon, you’ll still get good lemon flavor without it. If you don’t mind a little bitterness then hey, do what you want.

Meyer Lemon Coffeecake

adapted from Martha Stewart, makes 1 9″ or 2 6″ cakes.

For the streusel:

1 1/2 cups Ap flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup (one stick) butter

for the cake:

4 meyer lemons, sliced thinly
1/2 cup (one stick) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sour cream
2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
zest from 4-5 meyer lemons (about 3 Tbsp)

First make the streusel. Combine all the streusel ingredients in a small bowl and using a pastry cutter or your hands, cut the butter into the dry ingredients to create a wet sand consistency. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 3 days.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then blanch the lemon slices 2-4 times, depending on bitterness. (boil for 1 min, drain, repeat)

Now for the cake batter! Combine the butter and sugar in your mixing bowl and beat until fluffy and smooth.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest in one bowl… then the eggs, sour cream and vanilla in another. Starting and ending with the dry ingredients, alternate adding the dry and wet to the butter mixture until everything is incorporated.

And it is time to layer! Grease and line whatever kind of pan you’re using. Start with a layer of batter, then a layer of lemons, then streusel, then batter again, lemons and finally top it off with the remaining streusel.