Sassy Lemon Cake

Seems like so many of the Lemon Cake recipes I see start with cake mix. They can taste very good but I always feel better giving my family a cake where I know all of the ingredients. And I still want a tender, moist texture. You just can’t beat the taste of real lemons in this wonderful recipe.

I use sour cream in my lemon cake but feel free to use plain yogurt for a bit more tang. I think it also helps the crumb.

You have two options when finishing this cake. You can use the cream cheese based recipe that I personally prefer, or use a glaze (as a baker I repurposed the intense icing on my lemon cookies for this). Depends on how lemony you want your finished cake to be. I prefer the cream cheese icing because it makes the cake more luscious and satisfying. But if you want a nice lemon tartness, use the glaze – your lemon craving friends will love you for it!

This cake is delicious cold or at room temperature but I have to tell you a personal quirk: any time I use butter in a cake I always chuck my piece into the microwave for ten seconds or so, just enough to soften the icing and warm up butter in the slice. Heaven!

(As you can see from the image, my family didn’t want to wait for the camera!)

Sassy Lemon Cake

Lemon cake with a lovely moist texture and intense flavor.

Author: harriettscooking Cuisine: American Courses: Cakes, Sweet Treats

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Prep Time 15 mins Cook Time 50 mins Total Time 1 hr 5 mins Difficulty: Intermediate Servings: 10

Ingredients

Servings

Cream Together

• 8 oz Unsalted Butter (softened)
• 14 oz Sugar
• 4 Eggs (large)
• 2 Lemons (Zest from 2 lemons)

Sift Together

• 13 oz All Purpose Flour
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• ¹⁄₂ tsp Baking Soda

Combine

• 6 oz Sour Cream
• 2 floz Lemon Juice

Lemon-Cream Cheese Icing (optional)

• 4 oz Cream Cheese (softened to room temperature)
• 1 tbsp Lemon juice
• 3 cup Confectioners Sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Prepare a 10 to 12 cup bundt pan. Use 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter, spreading evenly and making sure to cover the artistic flourishes of your pan. dust with flour and set aside.

2. Cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest until light colored and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat well after each addition, until well incorporated. (I like to crack all of my eggs into a small bowl, then pour them one by one from that. This is easier to add to the mixing bowl and eliminated any chance of accidental egg shells in the batter.)
4. Add the sour cream and lemon juice, beating until just combined.
5. Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time, just incorporating with each addition. With last addition, scrape the bottom of the mixing bowl to ensure even distribution.
6. This batter will be pretty thick, so spoon it as evenly as you can into the prepared pan. Smooth the top all around and place it into the preheated oven.
7. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the deepest part of the cake comes out clean. (You may be able to see the sides of the cake just begin to pull away from the pan.)
8. Remove from oven and let the cake sit in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn the cake out onto the serving plate, lightly cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, and let cool for at least 1/2 hour. If using the Lemon Glaze, apply it while the cake is barely warm. If using the Lemon Cream Cheese Icing, wait until the cake is completely cooled. You can refrigerate it, lightly covered, to bring the temperature down if needed.
9. Store finished cake, covered, in the refrigerator.