Lemon Cake

"Wait ... What? A cake? But you never bake"; says everyone who knows me a little.
And it is true. I rarely bake.
If I do, there usually is an occasion to go with it... birthdays, anniversaries things like that.

I was bored. Out of my mind bored.
I started watching Gilmore Girl reruns, mindlessly surfing the Internet and reading magazines... And then, I just wanted to bake a lemon cake. I swear that is how it happened.

Surprisingly it turned out really well... and we had to eat cake for three days straight. Ah well, bikini-season is over anyhow...

So here it is, a fool-proof Lemon Cake recipe. As tested by a baking-fool ... me.
































Ingredients:

Cake:

• flour, 300g/ 2 cups
• baking powder, 2 teaspoons
• butter, 230g/ 1 cup
• sugar, 200g/ 1 cup
• lemon, the zest and half the juice
• vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon
• salt, 1/4 teaspoon
• eggs, medium 5

Buttercream:

• butter, 115g/ 1/2 cup
• powdered sugar, 250g/ 2 cups
• lemon juice, a squeeze

Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F and butter a springform pan.

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.

Take out another bowl and mix the sugar and the lemon zest. The aroma of the zest will rub into the sugar making it extra fragrant and your cake will have an amazing lemon taste.

Now take a large bowl and beat the butter until it is pliable. Add the sugar and beat with a hand mixer until fluffy... probably 5 minutes. 

Now beat in the eggs; one at a time and after they are mixed in, add the vanilla extract.

Finally beat in your flour mixture and mix on medium speed till almost combined. ´Now squeeze in the lemon juice and finish mixing.

Spread the batter into the springform pan and allow to bake for 35 minutes. (Or until a knife or skewer comes out of the centre clean.)

Let the cake cool for  10-15 minutes and then remove the sides of the springform pan. It is easier as long as the cake is still slightly warm.... But do not try to do that as soon as the cake comes out of the oven. It won't work, trust me... I tried.

Okay, lets move on to the buttercream. This is actually the easy part. Just mix the butter and the powdered sugar until creamy. If you want add in lemon juice or vanilla extract or both or poppy seeds (like Joy of Joy the Baker did). Experiment a little until you find a mixture you prefer.

When the cake is cooled spread the buttercream over it and enjoy.

Bon Appétit