I love tart lemon and lime bars and other citrus desserts. Along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, sweet and tangy desserts are the perfect way to end your meal. I was looking for a recipe that included sour cream. I had exactly 1 cup that I wanted to use up and voila! I found this in my recipe box tucked away behind the “cake” section. I wish I could remember who it belonged to so I could thank them.
Besides the sour cream, the recipe includes 1 full cup of lemon/lime juice. Part of the juice goes into the cake and the other half in the syrup that you drizzle over the cake when it’s done baking. Not enough zing? There’s citrus zest too.
Citrus Sour Cream Loaf
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup each, fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice
1 teaspoon each, lemon and lime zest
1/2 cup melted butter
Citrus Syrup
1/4 cup each, fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon citrus zest
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with waxed paper. Butter the pan (or spray with Pam).
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, briskly stir the sugar with the eggs. Whisk in sour cream, citrus juice and zest. Whisk gently to combine. Fold dry ingredients into wet, then whisk in melted butter. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 50 minutes or until done (check at 45 minutes).
While the cake is baking bring the lemon and lime juice to a simmer in a small saucepan. Mix in the sugar and zest and simmer for about 4 minutes until slightly thickened.
Cool loaf in pan for 15 minutes then remove to a cake rack and pierce the top of the loaf thoroughly with a long skewer. Drizzle the warm syrup over the cake letting it soak up the citrus syrup.
***The original recipe calls for an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan. After pouring the batter into the pan and seeing how little space there was at the top of the pan I was afraid that it might overflow so I switched it out for a 9 x 5 inch pan.
***For lactose free recipe use Green Valley lactose free sour cream and Earth Balance buttery sticks.
I bet the sour cream makes this cake super moist. Plus, the tang would go so nicely with all that citrus. Yum!
Carolyn you’re right! The sour cream adds a richness and this cake is super moist and tangy. I froze half of the loaf and defrosted a piece tonight and it was as good as the day I baked it. Mahalo!
Gorgeous photos and fresh-looking recipe. I noticed your “lactose-free” suggestions at the end. You could also substitute Greek Yogurt for the sour cream to make the cake free of lactose. Dairy yogurt and hard, aged cheeses are naturally lactose free.
Hi Shanna! You are right. I am lactose intolerant and can still enjoy eating extra sharp cheddar which is aged and typically lactose free. I love Green Valley lactose free yogurt and sour cream. I wonder if Greek yogurt would be fine too?
There are a lot of “lactose-free” products on the market. The label means that you pay a premium for the product. So many foods that are naturally lactose-free are not labeled as such. Aged, hard cheeses of any variety and all yogurt is extremely low in lactose or void of it all together. I would give that Greek yogurt a try. Happy eating!
Thank you Shanna for your suggestions. I will try Greek yogurt. I love extra sharp cheddar and it “agrees” with me. I also found some delicious yogurt cheese at our local market. It’s tasty and I can use it in sandwiches, salads and even in potato gratin!
The yogurt cheese sounds lovely – artisan and from your local market. Love it! You can also make it on your own quite easily. It is commonly done in Israel/Palestine and the Middle East. You strain your yogurt to the point it is “Greek,” yogurt, in the fridge, and then you continue to allow the cheese to loose water until it appears similar to a cream cheese. It would be very nice in a gratin – nice thinking!
Hi Shanna ~ The yogurt cheese I can find here on Maui is made by Applegate and it’s actually sliced and ready to add to a sandwich. Costco once sold a wonderful block of yogurt cheese (Epic) but they discontinued it, at least here in Hawaii. I will try the straining method using Green Valley lactose free plain yogurt. That would make a yummy dip! Thank you!
Ahh, yes, I know the variety of yogurt cheese you mean. Sounds lovely and I look forward to trying it! Thank you.