Tangy Turmeric Lemon Loaf with Olive Oil and Sumac

This Tangy Lemon Loaf is just the right breakfast or tea cake. Lemon juice, lemon zest and sumac create an intense tangy lemony flavor. Paired with rich olive oil for an intense flavor and depth and a bit of turmeric for that bright yellow color! It's a cake worth having on repeat for your weekly breakfast!

Lemon Loaf: Turmeric + Olive Oil + Sumac

I love all things lemon - especially in the springtime. The flavor is so fresh - when creating this recipe I knew that I needed more than just lemon juice and zest to create a really intensely tangy cake. Sumac is my go-to spice for so many things - it's a Middle Eastern spice that has a strong lemony flavor and PERFECT to enhance the lemony taste in this lemon loaf. One of the best applications is when it's used in fattoush salad but you can use it on potatoes, chicken or even eggs for a savory application! Definitely a spice worth stocking in your pantry.

Turmeric

Why turmeric? Turmeric is a wonderful earthy spice, it also creates an intense yellow color in food. A very common and popular Arab cake, Sfouf gets it signature yellow color from this exact spice, turmeric. I really wanted to create the idea of strong, bold, lemon flavor and adding a hint of turmeric gives that beautiful intense yellow color. It does have a bit of an earthy flavor that I think helps balance the sweetness of this lemon loaf as well. It's not 100% necessary to add - but think of it as adding natural food coloring to the cake. It's so fun to cut into the cake and see the beautiful color!

One Bowl Cake - No Mixer

My favorite thing about this lemon loaf is that it's made in ONE BOWL - no mixer required, just simply a whisk. It's the kind of cake you can put together in about 10 minutes and have ready for guests on short notice. Pair it with some vanilla ice cream for an extra special treat or toast the slices to enhance the lemon flavor.

Loaf Texture

This loaf cake is a little denser than a traditional cake. It holds its shape and has a very deep flavor, rich flavor.

Ingredients

Most of the ingredients are simple pantry staples you have on hand at all times. The only slightly different ones are sumac and turmeric.

• Sugar - Simple granulated sugar for this cake, we'll actually blend the lemon zest in with the sugar to create a lemony sugar.
• Lemon Zest - One of the most important ingredients - the zest has MUCH more lemon flavor than the juice, especially when baked.
• Lemon Juice - In addition to the zest, we'll be adding lemon juice.
• Eggs - Eggs to bind the cake together.
• Olive Oil - I loved the idea of continuing to play with the yellows and slightly intense flavors bordering on savory. I've used olive oil in the cake but it can certainly be made with any oil you'd like. If you have a lemon olive oil - that would be PHENOMENAL and give a VERY intense lemon flavor!
• Yogurt/Sour Cream - Somehow a yogurt cake feels like breakfast - am I right? Adding yogurt or sour cream for more tangy flavor. Both work well as I have tried both with success.
• Vanilla Extract
• All Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Sumac - I purchase my sumac at my local Middle Eastern grocery store - you can also purchase online, this is a great one with a nice intense flavor.
• Ground Turmeric - The turmeric is definitely used mostly for color but also gives the cake a hint of earthiness - a little bit goes a long way! Any grocery store will have ground turmeric. Or grab online.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and placing rack into the center most position. Spray your loaf pan - I like to use Baker's Joy, you can also butter the pan and sprinkle a bit of flour to coat completely - dump excess flour. Set aside.

In a large bowl, add your sugar and lemon zest. With clean hands, rub your lemon zest into the sugar thoroughly. I learned this trick from Dorie Greenspan in a class I took with her. Blending the lemon zest and sugar together helps to release the oils and creates a more in depth lemon flavor.

Once your lemon zest is fully incorporated with your sugar, add your liquid ingredients: lemon juice, yogurt, olive oil, vanilla and eggs. Whisk until smooth.

Next, sift your flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sumac and turmeric into the bowl and whisk until just combined. You DO want to whisk the flour in but JUST until combined. Simply folding the flour in will leave flour clumps in your final baked product.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 55-65 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean from the center most point of the cake.

Allow loaf to cool for about 10 minutes then flip onto a cooling rack and allow to completely cool. You can add an optional glaze of lemon + powdered sugar. I typically add about ½ cup of powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon, mix well - use a pastry brush to apply a thin layer or make a larger batch and fully ice. Slice and enjoy!

Substitutions & Variations

Our pantries are a world of wonder and sometimes we don't have exactly what we need when making recipes. Here are a few common substitutions that would work if you need to swap ingredients.

• Flour - I'm not a gluten free baker, but if you successfully use a gluten free flour in other baked goods, you can certainly swap out the all-purpose for your trusted brand.
• Yogurt - I have made the cake with both yogurt (whole milk, not Greek) and sour cream. Both are great options and create a successful tender cake. If you are dairy free, choose a dairy free yogurt to substitute.
• Olive Oil - You can sub butter for the olive oil - soften slightly then whisk in with the sugar/liquid mixture.
• Lemon Zest & Lemon Juice - Unfortunately I don't think these are negotiable. This is a lemon cake so using fresh lemon juice and zest are the most important part to create the best flavor. Bottled lemon unfortunately doesn't have the same fresh flavor and you also won't have access to lemon zest.
• Sumac - I love the addition of sumac in the cake, it's subtle but there. You can always omit or add a little extra lemon zest.
• Turmeric - Mostly used to add the vibrant yellow color and a hint of earthness, easily can be omitted if you'd like.
• Poppy Seeds - If you want a poppy seed cake, you can certainly throw some in, or try this Poppy Grapefruit Bread.

Equipment

Such a simple one bowl cake - the biggest must haves are:

• Whisk
• Loaf Pan - Mine is an especially stunning one from Nordicware, it's TOTALLY worth it! But any standard 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan would work great.
• Microplane - Used to zest the lemon, or whatever fine zester you have.
• Baking Spray - If you are using a loaf pan from Nordicware with a design like mine, I HIGHLY recommend using this Baker's Joy (much cheaper in the store), it's also what I use exclusively on bundt cakes!
• Kitchen Scale - Using a kitchen scale to weight ingredients is so much more accurate and will lead to better bakes! For less than $10 it's a kitchen tool worth the investment!

Storage

Store the cake in a sealed container for 3-4 days, I like to warm up or toast slightly when enjoying it the second day. Avoid storing in the fridge as it will become dry.

FAQ

I hope you enjoy this Tangy Turmeric Lemon Loaf with Olive Oil and Sumac as much my family does - feel free to adjust and make your own!

If you make Tangy Turmeric Lemon Loaf with Olive Oil and Sumac, please let me know by leaving a rating and review below!

As always, I love seeing your creations. Please leave a review or share your dish with me on social media #cosetteskitchen which lets me know what is working for you! You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter , Tiktok and Pinterest. For more delicious recipes to your inbox, sign up for my newsletter!

xoxo,
Cosette

Tangy Turmeric Lemon Loaf with Olive Oil and Sumac

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review

• Author: Cosette Posko
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 60 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 1 loaf 1x
• Category: Baking
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: Lebanese

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Description

This tangy lemon loaf is paired with earthy olive oil, turmeric and sumac. It's a lovely balance of flavors and strong lemon flavor. Made in one bowl for ease - great for breakfast or with coffee or tea.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar - 250 grams
• Zest of 3 large lemons
• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil - 74 grams (you can sub in any oil)
• ⅔ cup whole milk plain yogurt or sour cream - 170 grams
• ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice - 77 grams (about 2 large lemons)
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour - 272 grams
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sumac spice
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric spice

Optional Glaze

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

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Instructions

1. Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit and placing your oven rack in the center of your oven.
2. Grease an 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan either by spraying with Baker's Joy or brushing a thin layer of butter or shortening around the entire inside. Add a teaspoon of flour and rotate pan around to ensure flour adheres to all the butter/shortening. Shake out an excess flour. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, add your sugar and zest from your lemons. Using your hands, gently rub the lemon zest into the sugar. This step is really important to achieve a great lemon flavor. The lemon zest releases oils which infuses the sugar creating a more intense lemon flavor.
   • 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar - 250 grams
   • Zest of 3 large lemons
4. Add in your wet ingredients and whisk until fully combined.
   • ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons olive oil - 74 grams (you can sub in any oil)
   • ⅔ cup whole milk plain yogurt or sour cream - 170 grams
   • ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice - 77 grams
   • 3 large eggs
   • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5. Sift in your dry ingredients - I like the texture much better if sifting in the dry ingredients so definitely give it an extra minute to do so. Whisk until JUST combined. You want all the flour pieces to be worked into the batter but not overwork. 
   • 2 cups all-purpose flour - 272 grams
   • 1 teaspoon baking powder
   • ½ teaspoon baking soda
   • ½ teaspoon salt
   • 2 teaspoons sumac spice
   • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric spice
6. Pour your batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 55-65 minutes. At the 55 minute mark, check your cake for doneness by inserting a skewer in the center. If it's clean, it's done - if not, put back in for another 10 minutes until skewer comes out clean from batter.
   • If the top of your loaf is browning too quickly, loosely drape a piece of foil on top 
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the loaf pan - after 10 minutes flip onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool for 30 minutes then slice and enjoy!

Optional Glaze

1. Add ½ cup of powdered sugar to a bowl and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice - mix until a paste forms. Add more powdered sugar to make thicker or more lemon juice to thin. I like to simply brush on a THIN layer but you can certainly make as much as you want and create a thicker glaze.

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Notes

• It's highly encourages to weight your ingredients using a kitchen scale for the most accurate recipe.
• If you are not weighing your ingredients - be sure to spoon and level your flour to ensure you don't have too much in the recipe.
• You can sub any oil for olive oil - olive oil does have a strong flavor. A lemon olive oil would give even more lemon flavor or a light olive oil would give a lighter oil taste.

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