Fresh Lemon Cake

Niece Ashlee came from Idaho a few weeks ago and brought the remnants of the birthday cake she made for Grandma's birthday.  It was a fresh lemon cake....homemade, dense, moist.  I love raspberry and lemon together so I dolloped mine with some homemade raspberry jam.  You could top it with fresh raspberries....or leave it alone since the glaze speaks for itself.

This isn't the texture of a boxed cake.  The fresh squeezed lemon juice and the zest really kick up the taste here.  I did learn a few things while making this.




The recipe called for sifted flour.  I am ADD so of course I wanted to skip this part.  I'm thinking "really?  Is that necessary?"  But good sense got a hold of me just in time.

I was doubling the recipe so I could take cakes to several neighbors as well so I was working with 6 cups of flour sifted.  After sifting and measuring, I easily had a cup left over. 

My how the texture of this cake would have been different with another cup of flour.  Sifting aerates and lightens flour.  Make sure you know what the recipe is calling for- there is a big difference between 3 cups of sifted flour and 3 cups of flour, sifted.

This cake batter is heavy- much more like a banana cake batter.

It is so delicious that you'll want to stick in your finger over and over and have a bit.  It's that good.

  Yummy!  Yummy!  So good!  A definite keeper.

Fresh Lemon Cake

 Bake 28-32 min @ 325
Grease and flour pans. Makes 2- 9" round cakes.

2 sticks butter softened
2 c sugar
3 eggs
3 c sifted flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c buttermilk
2 tbsp tightly packed lemon zest
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Icing
1-lb powdered sugar
1 stick butter melted
3 tbsp tightly packed lemon zest
1/2 c fresh lemon juice


Cream butter and sugar in large bowl. Crack eggs in smaller bowl and wisk a few minutes so that they are a little frothy and add to sugar mixture and mix well. Mix four in a little at a time and then add baking soda, salt and buttermilk and mix well. Fold in lemon zest and lemon juice. Split mixture into 2- 9" round pans and bake as directed above.

Icing-mix all ingredients together. It should be a little runny so that it drizzles and spread well over cake.  (note: as I mentioned above, I dolloped mine with fresh raspberry jam.)

(and I might add, my cakes took longer to bake.  I even turned my oven up to 350....just watch and test close to the end, using the toothpick test!)