When Life Hands You Lemons – Make Lemon Cake

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Well I enjoy making caking so much more than lemonade.

Sometimes we feel like we drew the short straw, like we are getting the crappy end of the stick (to put it politely). I go through the “Woe as Me” periods like everyone else, in fact last week was one of them. But one of the things that puts it all into perspective is realizing it’s not about what I’m given but what I do with it. Everything in life revolves around your attitude and perspective. So if all you see is a a bunch of sour fruit than that is all you will have. But if you choose to see the possibility and find appreciation in what resources you do have then you see yummy moist cakey goodness

Glazed Lemon Pound Cake courtesy of my main girl Martha Stewart. (recipe below as well)

Tip: i put a piece of wax paper under the rack to catch the excess glaze and to make for easy clean up.

My little crumb snatcher vigilantly keeping watch for an errant crumb.  Kitty you don’t like cake, but he doesn’t know.

 

 

Glazed Lemon Pound Cake

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
• 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• Zest of 2 lemons, finely grated
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 large eggs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in lowest position. Butter and flour two 4 1/2-by-8-inch (6-cup) loaf pans.
2. In a small bowl (or liquid measuring cup), combine buttermilk with lemon zest and juice. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three parts alternately with the buttermilk mixture in two, beginning and ending with flour; beat just until smooth (do not overmix).
5. Divide batter evenly between pans; smooth tops. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes (tent with foil if browning too quickly). Cool 15 minutes in pan. Turn out cakes onto a rack; cool completely before glazing.
6. Set rack with cakes over a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Pour glaze over cakes, letting it run down the sides; let dry, about 30 minutes.

 

Lemon Glaze

Makes 3/4 cup

Ingredients

• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

Place confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup; stir in lemon juice (glaze should be thick, yet pourable). Add more sugar or lemon juice, as necessary, to achieve desired consistency.