I had a craving for lemon cake the other night and I couldn’t ignore it. We were walking through the grocery store, all of us, and it hit me. Someday, I would really love an explanation on cravings. Was it the warmer weather that had me craving something fresh tasting? Was it that the exertion of actually running to the grocery store while pushing a running stroller and babe? Maybe it was seeing the lemons out of the corner of my eye? I don’t know. But it hit me and caved.
There is danger in searching for recipes while walking in the grocery store. There isn’t time to adequately study the ingredients, to judge whether or not the taste and consistency is what I’m looking for. Plus, I started in Pinterest, picking through recipes by how good the photos looked. (Haha!) It did help me identify what kind of lemon cake I wanted – nothing with frosting or syrups, nothing with food coloring and nothing with too many steps. I found the one I wanted about halfway through the store. And man oh man, I picked a good one.
It is a dense, buttery, lemony cake. The original recipe (and gorgeous Pinterest photos) comes from Always with Butter and is entirely edible as is. We should know. We ate two batches of it in the span of 4 days. However, I liked it so much, I thought doubling it up was necessary. In this case, more is better. Vanilla whipped cream is the perfect middle man, keeping things light and fresh. Sprinkled powdered sugar tops it off. Because of all the butter, the cake is soft so adjusting it on the cake stand takes some finesse so be careful. Allow it to completely cool before assembling (the warmth will melt the whipped cream). Placing it in the fridge for a bit will help it become firmer and easier to handle. I like eating the cake at room temperature while MJ loves it cold. The children eat it any which way because, yay!, it’s cake! If for some reason the cake makes it beyond the initial cutting, keep it in the fridge so the whipped cream doesn’t melt. I am certain we will be eating this all summer long.
Recipe from Always With Butter
Ingredients
- 2 cups cake flour
- 2/3 cup almond flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3 sticks butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- zest of 4 lemons
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- powdered sugar, to taste
- vanilla, to taste
Instructions
- Cut two circles of parchment paper to fit in the bottom of two 9-inch cake pans. Butter and flour the cake pans and parchment.
- Combine the flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.
- Add in the eggs, one at a time, combining well.
- Next, add in the vanilla and zest.
- Slowly, add in the dry ingredients. Blend until just combined.
- Finally, fold in the sour cream with a spatula.
- Divide the batter between the two prepared pans.
- Bake at 350F for 35-45 minutes.
- Allow to fully cool before assembling.
- Pour the heavy whipping cream into the bowl of an electric mixer. With the whisk attachment, begin whipping the cream.
- Continue to whip it until stiff peaks begin to form.
- Add in desired vanilla and sugar and beat to combine. Do not over beat. It can became lumpy.
Take care.
mmmm yummy, lemon cake! looks and sounds perfect and simple. love the styling of the photo t00 -especially the colours of the adorable bunting flag! :) (found you through Alt for Everyone! cute site!)
Thank you Lyndsay!! Nice to meet you!
Looks delicious! I love how simple and natural the cake looks. Gorgeous!
Thank you Kathleen!
Wow. I love the styling. Perfect.
Thank you Eric. :)
Wow, so beautiful and looks SO good! I’m in the middle of my second pregnancy and I feel like the only thing I really crave these days is sugar. So I must make this for myself! :)
Yes you must, Lettie!! Enjoy!
looks lovely! great for a summer party.
Yes, it would be great there!
Looks divine! You are a very talented food photographer also :) just perfect!