Description
With a ribbon of homemade meyer lemon curd, this is the best golden and buttery Meyer lemon coffee cake!
Ingredients
Meyer Lemon Curd
- 1 tsp Meyer lemon zest
- 3 Tbsp Meyer lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Topping
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 3 Tbsp light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup flour
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp Meyer lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp Meyer lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Cake
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp Meyer lemon zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk, at room temperature
- powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- For the curd, whisk together Meyer lemon zest, juice, sugar, salt, and egg in a heavy saucepan. Cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened. Add butter a few pieces at a time, whisking constantly until melted, before adding more butter. Continue until curd is smooth and thickened, and coats the back of a spoon (about 5 minutes total).
- Strain curd through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Press a piece of plastic directly on the surface, and chill until cold – at least one hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray; dust lightly with flour.
- For the topping, whisk together sugar, brown sugar, flour, and salt in a small bowl; add Meyer lemon zest, juice, and melted butter, and toss mixture with a fork until completely incorporated and mixture is crumbly. Chill topping in the freezer until needed.
- For the cake, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter, sugar, Meyer lemon zest, and vanilla in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and yolk one at a time and beat well. Combine yogurt and buttermilk in a small bowl. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with yogurt mixture (begin and end with flour mixture).
- Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth with an offset spatula. Dollop Meyer lemon curd over batter and swirl together with a toothpick or wooden skewer; tap pan sharply to remove air bubbles. Sprinkle with chilled topping.
- Bake for 38 to 42 minutes, until coffee cake is golden, springs back to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs. Cool in pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before serving.
Notes
1/3 cup jarred lemon curd may be substituted for the Meyer lemon curd.