Lemon Bundt Cake

Lemon Bundt Cake

If you need a dessert for this weekend, here is an easy cake from a new cookbook. When we went down for Baby Girl's birthday party, I flipped through a cookbook that Mommy was giving to Jessica for HER birthday. (Baby Girl's party was held on her aunt's actual birthday.) It looked like a good one and I said I thought I'd pick one up for myself at the bookstore before we left town. Fast forward a few days and I found myself babysitting a sick child for the rest of that week. I never got to the bookstore.

I was greatly surprised to receive a package in the mail a couple of days after I got home from the intensive babysitting. Mommy had sent this to me as a "thank you for rescuing us" gift. I have the most thoughtful daughter. If you still buy cookbooks, this is a good one. Recipes are family friendly. Real food for real people. (Jessica has already tried several of the recipes.) I think the recipes are very well written.

A few days after that, Jessica came home for the weekend. By then I was in full blown sick mode, spending my days curled up under a blanket. So to entertain herself, she baked a cake from the new cookbook. She had already looked through hers and picked this recipe out. And I had all the ingredients on hand. She cautioned, "Be careful not to over bake this one." She thought she could have backed off the baking time a couple of minutes. But, like the banana bread that we love, the moistness improved after a day or two. 

My banana bread recipe says to let the loaf "ripen" overnight before you slice it. And I know my pound cake is like that, too. It's better if I make it a day or two ahead. I do not know the science behind this, but I know these baked goods do improve after resting. The big plus is these make great recipes when a make-ahead dessert is needed. 

I have made similar recipes using a cake mix. Homemade is better. And truly not much harder. That gorgeous glaze in the photo? Jessica's glaze was much thinner. Still delicious, but it didn't look like the book picture.

LEMON BUNDT CAKE

3 cups all-purpose flour
grated zest of 2 lemons
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1/2 lb) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk

Lemon Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (more if needed)

Preheat oven to 350º. Spray 12-cup bundt pan with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, lemon zest, baking soda and salt. Set aside. With mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy about 3-5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer on LOW, alternately add flour and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated.

Spoon batter into greased bundt pan. Drop pan lightly on countertop to remove any bubbles.
Bake about 50-55 minutes, until toothpick in cake comes out clean. (Start with lesser time. Check and bake more if needed.)

Cool in pan, on rack for 20 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely. While cake is cooling, make glaze. Whisk lemon juice into powdered sugar, adding more juice as needed to make a soft glaze. Place cake on serving plate and drizzle glaze over it,


As I said, this was even better on the second day. Thanks to Jessica for baking us a treat while she was home. And now, bless her heart, she is the one home with the same crud that we have all had. Summer cannot come too soon if it means a break in this pass-the-germs-around game we seem to be playing!