Ingredients

12 servings

　　2 1/4 cups (250 grams) cake flour, sifted

　　3/4 teaspoon double-acting baking powder

　　1/4 teaspoon salt

　　1 1/2 cups (335 grams) sugar

　　Grated zest of 3 lemons or 2 oranges

　　5 large eggs, at room temperature

　　2/3 cup (165 grams) crème fraîche, homemade or storebought, or heavy cream, at room temperature

　　2 tablespoons (30 grams) dark rum (for the lemon cake) or Grand Marnier (for the orange cake)

　　7 1/2 tablespoons (3 3/4 ounces; 110 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

　　

Step 1

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter and flour a 9 x 5 x 3-inch (22.5 x 12.5 x 7.5-cm) loaf pan, dust the interior with flour, and tap out the excess. Put the pan on an insulated baking sheet or on two stacked regular baking sheets and set aside.

　　

Step 2

2. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together and keep close at hand. Toss the sugar and zest together in a large bowl and rub them together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Whisk in the eggs, beating until the mixture is pale and foamy, then whisk in the crème fraîche and rum. Switch to a large rubber spatula and gently stir the sifted flour mixture into the batter in three or four additions—the batter should be thick and smooth. Finally, fold in the cooled melted butter in two or three additions.

　　

Step 3

3. Immediately spoon the batter into the pan and slide the baking sheet(s) into the oven. Bake for 1 hour and 25 to 30 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out dry and free of crumbs. (Check the cake at the 40-minute mark. If it is browning quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent for the remainder of the baking period.) Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes on a cooling rack before turning it out of the pan; invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

　　

Nutrition Per Serving

Per serving: 154.2 calories

　　16.1 calories from fat

　　1.8 g total fat

　　0.9 g saturated fat

　　0.9 mg cholesterol

　　78.0 mg sodium

　　29.3 g total carbs

　　2.3 g dietary fiber

　　1.8 g sugars

　　4.9 g protein

　　#### Nutritional analysis provided by [TasteBook

　　using the USDA Nutrition Database]( )

　　Keeping:

　　Wrapped airtight, the cake will keep for 1 week at room temperature or up to 1 month in the freezer. Stale cake is delicious lightly toasted and spread with marmalade.

　　From Paris Sweets by Dorie Greenspan. Copyright (c) 2002 by Dorie Greenspan. Published by Broadway Books.Dorie Greenspan is the author of numerous acclaimed cookbooks, including Baking with Julia, The Cafe Boulud Cookbook (with Daniel Boulud), and Desserts by Pierre Hermé, which won the IACP Cookbook of the Year Award. She divides her time between Paris and New York.