Meyer Lemon Cakes

I just bought a beautiful bag of Meyer lemons and simply couldn't wait to use them. I searched around for recipes for a while and found a ton, but in the end I decided to stick with trusty Ina and her Lemon Cakes recipe.
I switched it up a bit and added some frozen blueberries to one of the cakes because I just adore the combination of lemon and blueberries.
The cakes turned out amazing! Both Mikey and myself found them to be the perfect balance of sour and sugary flavors, with him liking the plain lemon cake better, and me preferring the lemon blueberry version (he's not a berry guy). Just like Ina's Lemon Bars, these cakes pack a ton of tart lemon-y flavor (though the use of the Meyer lemons cuts down of the tartness quite a bit). I am a true lemon lover so nothing is ever too tart for me personally, but if you only slightly like lemon I would suggest dialing back the lemon usage a bit.
These cakes make an excellent dessert served up with a bit of blueberry sorbet or vanilla ice cream, but they also make a tasty breakfast on their own!

Meyer Lemon Cakes

recipe adapted from here

ingredients:
cakes:

• 1/2 lb unsalted butter, at rom temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup grated Meyer lemon zest,  from about 6-8 lemons 
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (optional, this is the amount for one of the cakes)

lemon syrup:

• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

glaze:

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.
2. Cream the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for about 5 minutes on medium speed. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix until combined. Add in the lemon zest and fully incorporate.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
4. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, buttermilk, and vanilla paste.
5. To the butter/sugar mixture, alternately add in the flour and buttermilk mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
6. Pour half of the batter into the first loaf pan and set aside.
7. Fold the blueberries into the remaining batter and pour into the other loaf pan.
8. Smooth the tops of the batter and bake for 45 minutes to an hour until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, cook the ingredients for the lemon syrup over low heat until the sugar dissolves.
10. When the cakes are finished baking, allow them to cool for ten minutes. Remove them from their trays and then spoon the lemon syrup evenly over them. Allow the cakes to cool completely.
11. For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour the glaze over the tops and allow it to drip down the sides. Serve!