"Sunshine" lemon cake

Sunshine lemon cake

Of all the cakes I’ve made throughout the years, this one holds a special place in my heart, as it was our kids favorite recipe to bake when they were still very young and one could hardly hold the wooden spoon to mix the batter. It holds the scent of celebration of the Spring in our family home. Every time we baked it the reaction of anyone who tasted it was “wows! Can you give me the recipe?”. My husband, who usually favors chocolate, declared it the “best cake he’s ever had.”, which made our kids very proud. Since then, this cake has become a centerpiece for birthdays, the welcome treat for visiting friends, and the comforting bake of Spring in the air.

It’s a soft, unbelievably moist, and tender crumb, with a bright, zesty lemon flavor, all crowned with a sweet-tart “glaze” that seeps into every pore. You could almost say it’s a piece of sunshine. And the best part is: it’s a simple and reliable recipe that will turn every occasion into a cherished memory.

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Fresh organic lemons

WHAT YOU NEED

INGREDIENTS:

Cooking time 10 min, Baking time 45 min - 1h

• 200 gr. flour

• 2 teaspoons of Baking powder

• 200 gr. sugar

• 4 eggs

• 150 ml of thick cream

• The grated peel of one large organic lemon

• 4 tablespoons of lemon juice

• 50 ml olive oil

• 100 ml coconut oil or 100gr of organic butter

SYRUP to pour over at the end

• 4 tablespoons of powder sugar

• 3 tablespoons of lemon juice

Enjoy the baking process! Even if it gets messy

COOKING:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees

2. Grease a rectangular baking form of about 24 cm long or a round cake form about 20 cm in diameter

3. Mix flour, baking powder and sugar in a bowl

4. In another bowl beat the eggs, add lemon juice & zest, cream, and oil or butter

5. Mix in the flour and sugar little by little until you have a uniform dough

6. Pour into the baking form

7. Bake between 45 and 60 minutes until the cake acquires a golden-brown color

8. Prepare the lemon syrup:  mix the lemon juice and powdered sugar

9. Take it our of the baking form and put it onto a baking waxed sheet

10. Prick it with a long toothpick to the bottom about all over its surface (some 20 times). Pour the syrup over it and let it cool.

11. For presentation, transfer the cake to the serving tray and add some thin slices of lemon peal or perhaps add some Borage or small colorful edible flowers.

12. READY! Serve hot but do warn everyone eating that it’s very hot inside.

This isn’t just another lemon cake recipe, it's a guide to a consistently moist cake, packed with authentic lemon flavor from both zest and juice, and topped with a simple yet elegant glaze. This will likely be the last lemon cake recipe you’ll ever need.

NOW ENJOY!

Before serving, add the lemon syrup and decorate

Always a plus if you add edible flowers to decorate your cake

You can also try different cake shapes.

SOURCES AND REFERENCES:

Some images from Unsplash.com

Some from our visitors who kindly shared