Lemon Loaf

I have some friends dropping by for a visit tonight so I decided to make a lemon loaf.  I'm not a great baker.  I prefer to cook so I like to have some standby desserts that I can make up in a few minutes.

Ingredients

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

grated rind of one lemon

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Cream shortening and sugar together.  It will be a nice lemony colour.   Beat in eggs, lemon zest and milk.  I use my Kitchenaid mixer to make this easy.

Mix in flour, salt and baking powder.  If you are a good baker, you will sift all these dry ingredients into your wet mixture.   However, if you are slapdash like me, you will dump it all in and turn the machine on ;).  I find it tastes the same.  Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for one hour.   At the 45 minute mark, I start checking it because I find that it doesn't usually take a full hour.  Today it took 55 minutes for a toothpick to come out clean.

Make a glaze with a 1/4 cup of icing sugar and the enough of the lemon juice for a runny consistency.

While it is still warm, I poke holes in the top with a bamboo skewer and gently pour the glaze into the holes and over the top of the loaf.  Cool and slice.  I hope you enjoy this easy dessert.   Recently I used it as the base for a lemon and berry trifle.  It was soooo good.