Simply Lovely Lemon Cake

With its firm yet tender texture this Simply Lovely Lemon Cake will become a staple in your cake making arsenal. The time tested recipe contains buttermilk and lemon zest to guarantee a flavorful cake that’s perfect for weekday dinners or a simply elegant dinner party!

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Maybe it’s because I’m simple

but I’ve never really liked posh things. Like designer clothing or chic decor — they’ve just never done it for me. Instead I’ve always joked that I’m a peasant, preferring funky flea market furniture, a few pieces of basic clothing and toasted cheese on whole wheat to a more chichi lifestyle.

And it gets even worse (better?) as I grow older. As in, the older I get, the less stuff I want, and what I do have I want to be L O W maintenance. Super low.

Which, as you might guess, brings us to this cake. This is a happy, lovely cake. It’s pretty in its simple way — quietly elegant, even, which is perhaps the best kind of elegance. It’s moist and lemony but not in a puckery way. It plays well with others (berries and such) but is equally delightful on its own.

Here’s why you need this Simply Lovely Lemon Cake:

• Easy to make with stuff you probably have in your pantry or fridge right now
• It always works (proven from the dozens and dozens of times I’ve made it both at home and at our café)
• The texture is firm (so it doesn’t fall apart when you move it to your cake plate) yet super moist (from the buttermilk)
• A single layer is manageable and just right (meaning you won’t have a giant leftover cake that you feel bad about eating but equally bad about NOT eating because it took a lot of work and was expensive to make and…)
• Adaptable as you can serve it simply with a few berries or split in half horizontally and filled with jam and some whipped cream or covered in buttercream frosting. Heck, you could even quadruple it and make a wedding cake!

simply Lovely lemon cake ingredients

You’ll need:

Butter. I prefer unsalted butter for baking and, confession, I use the store brand.

Sugar. Granulated sugar

Eggs. From local hens if possible. It’s nice to support people (and animals) you know!

Lemons. Since you’ll be using the peel, look for large firm lemons as they respond better to the zester.  TIP: zest the lemons before juicing them. You may choose to substitute lemon oil for the peel (see Recipe Notes)

Flour. All purpose flour. Did you know that how you measure flour can affect the texture of your baked goods? Here’s how I measure flour:

• Fluff up the flour in the canister
• Spoon flour into your measuring cup
• Level the top with a knife

Baking Powder, Baking Soda + Salt. For lift and to enhance flavor.

Buttermilk. Baking with buttermilk is a key to tender cakes with a light texture and a lemony tang. If you don’t have buttermilk for this recipe you can make a quick substitute:

• Just add the 2 tablespoons lemon juice to 1/2 cup regular milk and let sit for about 5 minutes.

Vanilla Extract. For 30 years I would’ve told you to ONLY use pure vanilla extract. (And truth be told, that is all I use.) But there’s a lot of articles now on how imitation vanilla is actually preferable in baked goods including cookies and cakes. Read one of the articles and decide for yourself!

Powdered Sugar. If your sugar is lumpy sift before using so you’ll have nice smooth and shiny lemon glaze.

You’ll also need:

Electric Mixer.

9″ Round Baking Pan.

Parchment Round or Baking Spray.

Flexible Spatula.

Zester.

how to make simply Lovely lemon cake

• Preheat oven to 325°
• Line a 9″ round baking pan with parchment paper or lightly spray with cooking spray.
• Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest and set aside.
• In a small measuring cup, combine lemon juice, buttermilk and vanilla.
• With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides with spatula.
• With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well between each addition. I like to turn off the mixer while I’m adding the eggs in case a bit of egg shell gets in there — easier to fish it out with the machine off!
• Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrap the sides with spatula as needed.
• Pour batter into pan, smooth the top, and bake for 30 minutes til a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for about 15 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before drizzling with Lemon Glaze.

For the glaze:

• Sift powdered sugar into a glass measuring pitcher or bowl.
• Whisk in the lemon juice. Adjust consistency by adding more powdered sugar or lemon juice.

recipe notes

If you want a fancier cake, split the fulled cooled cake in half horizontally and fill with Whipped Cream Frosting and/or a nice spread of raspberry jam. Reassemble cake and top with more frosting and a few seemingly randomly but oh-so-carefully placed fresh raspberries.

For an even simpler version of Simply Lovely Lemon Cake that saves loads of time make a few substitutions:

• use bottled lemon juice instead of fresh
• use Lemon Oil instead of lemon zest

For a more intense lemon flavor think ahead! Add the lemon zest (or lemon oil) to the sugar, stir it around and let it sit for an hour or so before assembling cake. It will work its delightful way into the sugar for stronger lemon flavor. You can also substitute lemon extract for the vanilla extract.

Don’t have buttermilk? It’s easy to make your own. Just add the 2 tablespoons lemon juice to 1/2 cup regular milk and let sit for about 5 minutes while you’re creaming the butter and sugar, etc. You’ll see that the milk will thicken and clabber (love that old-fashioned word as it reminds me of my mama) or curdle which means it’s ready to go!