Lemon Buttermilk Cake #2

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Apparently, I am somewhat obsessed with making this purdy lil' cake. According to the notes in the margins I have made it nine times since 1999. For me, that's a lot, since I rarely bake and even more rarely eat cake.

The funny part is, it's really not my kind of treat. It's quite plain. Which might explain why the original (this is adapted) appears in the Plain Cakes chapter of Maida Heatter's Cakes. I like my snacks (read: empty calories) closer to a sugar-bomb, so what's with my repeat performances here?

Well, there is an answer. If you have a thing for jam, this is THE cake to put it on. Oh my gosh. I serve it with lemon curd, Sqirl jams (Order some today. Trust me. Deliciousness.) and when I really go overboard, I melt some butter and toast this lightly in it. Uh-huh. I do. It's sinfully fantastic.

So try this my peaches, and taste the joy.

xoxo

Finely grated zest of 5 large lemons (more is good, too)

3 T lemon juice

3 cups flour

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. sea salt (fine)

1/2 lb. butter

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

GLAZE

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter an angel food cake pan. If you can, line the bottom with parchment. It's better if you can, but not totally needed.

Combine the zest and 3 T. lemon juice and set aside.

Sift the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

In a stand mixer, beat the butter until soft (yes, you CAN do half and half Crisco and butter. I have when in a pinch.), add sugar and beat until mixed. Add eggs one at a time and beat well until mixed. Add in 1/2 of the dry ingredients, then the buttermilk, then the rest of the dry ingredients. Beat until smooth, but not longer. (Ever wonder why recipes say this? The more you beat flour the more the gluten develops and toughens the final product. Ta-dum!) Stir in the lemon juice/zest.

Combine the glaze ingredients. Stir and set aside.

Pour in to prepared pan. Smooth the top. (The batter is thick.) Bake 45 minutes to an hour or until a cake tester inserted in to the middle comes out clean.

Remove the finished cake from the oven and let stand a few minutes. Invert on to a foil lined plate. Brush the glaze over the warm cake. Let stand until cool.

© 2012 Fresh Approach Cooking
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© 2012 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" http://www.freshcatering.blogspot.com

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