Lemon Cake

Lemon cake with lemon cream cheese frosting and topped with candied lemon peel. It sounds like overkill, but the flavors are quite delicately balanced and leave you coming back for more.


Here is my standard, make-your-mouth-water lemon cake adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Parties.


1/2 lb unsalted butter, room temp
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 extra large eggs, room temp
1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6-8 large lemons)
3 cups all-purpose flour (or substitute 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp sifted cake flour for each cup of AP)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup buttermilk, room temp
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 lb unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 lb cream cheese, room temp
1 lb powdered sugar, sifted
zest from 1-2 lemons (to taste)
lemon juice (as needed)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 2 loaf pans, two round cake pans, or a 12 cup bundt. Line cake or loaf pans with parchment; flour bundt.

2. Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, and the lemon zest.

3. Sift together the flout, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, begining and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake (45 minutes to an hour for loaf and bundt pans, check round cake pans at 30 minutes) until they pass the toothpick test. (A toothpick inserted into the middle will come out with moist crumbs attached but no raw batter.)

4. Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves.

5. When cakes are done, let them cool for 10 minutes, then invert them onto a rack set over a tray or cookie sheet and spoon the lemon syrup over the cakes. (Or use a pastry brush.) Allow the cakes to cool completely.

6. For the frosting, combine the butter and cream cheese in a mixer until smooth. Sift in the powdered sugar and add the lemon zest. Add lemon juice to taste to reach desired consistency. Frost cake, and enjoy. (Lemon curd or raspberry jam make excellent fillings if you want to use something other than the frosting for inside the cake.)

Breakfast of champions: I substituted grapefruit juice and zest for the cake and used the pulp in the frosting.


Kate