Ingredients
Method
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with butter or cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper if you have it — makes cleanup much cleaner.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together for about 4 minutes, until the mixture looks pale and fluffy. This is where you want to be patient — the cake's texture depends on getting enough air into this stage.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula so everything gets incorporated evenly. Mix in the lemon zest and thyme.
- With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Add the lemon juice last and mix until just combined — don't overmix at this stage or your cake will be dense instead of tender.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (a few moist crumbs sticking to it is fine).
- While the cake cools slightly in the pan, whisk together all glaze ingredients until smooth. The consistency should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but thin enough to drizzle easily — add more lemon juice if needed.
- Once the cake has cooled for about 15 minutes, poke holes around the top with a fork and slowly pour the glaze over so it seeps into those little craters. Let everything cool completely before slicing.
Nutrition
Notes
I keep a permanent jar of dried thyme for this because fresh sprigs go moldy so fast, and honestly the flavor is nearly identical once you're baking. The trick that made it stick in my rotation was realizing I should let the cake sit at room temperature before slicing — it transforms from good to genuinely great when those citrus oils have time to settle into every crumb.
I usually bake two or three of these at a time and freeze them wrapped tightly in plastic. They taste just as bright thawed, which means I always have something nice for guests who show up unannounced.