Lemon Tea Cake

There's nothing, absolutely nothing, like a good lemon cake. My mother would agree. I originally made this cake from a recipe I found on Pinterest for Mother's Day. I've made it several times since then and tweaked it considerably.

If you're looking for a quick, easy delicious cake, this is what you want. It's the perfect base for strawberry shortcake, companion to tea, or breakfast item. Hands down, bottom line, no further questions, it's just delicious.

Here's what you'll need:

Alright, so full disclosure, I don't normally do things in this order, because I'm terrible at planning ahead; but, this is the easiest way to do things. 

Quick note, for this I've found that the eggs, milk, butter, and lemons all need to be at room temperature. If they aren't the cake will fall and have this weird texture. Don't be afraid to leave your eggs and milk out, nothing bad should happen. 

First, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. 

 Next, grate 1/4 of a cup of lemon zest. It works out to the zest of about four small lemons. 

Squeeze 3/4 of a cup of lemon juice into a measuring cup. It's really important that you use fresh lemons, not the yucky stuff that comes out of the bottle. To that, add 3/4 of milk. It doesn't matter what type. 2%, 1%, Whole, Organic, anything will work just as long as it comes from a cow. Add 2 Teaspoons of vanilla, give it a stir, and you'll have this glorious-ness. 

Alright, at this point everything should be ready to be dumped in the mixer. Yay! 

In a mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat 2 sticks of butter with 2 cups of granulated sugar. 

As it's beating, add it four large eggs and 1/4 of a cup of lemon zest. 

To that yummy-ness, add the lemon juice, milk, and vanilla mixture. 

If it looks "curdled" don't worry. That's normal! 

To that, add the dry ingredients: 

It's a really wet batter. If you want it to be dryer, just add a bit more flour. 

Pour the batter into a bread pan. This recipe also makes four 6-inch loaves. 

I overfilled this pan just a bit. Basically, you want to fill it until it's an inch from the top. Even so, I'd put a cookie sheet under the pan to be safe. 

Bake it at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour until a toothpick comes out partially clean. After it's baked, turn the oven off and let it sit in the oven for five to ten minutes. 

For the glaze

Here's what you'll need: 

In a small sauce pan, combine the zest and juice of one small lemon and half a cup of powdered sugar over low heat.

Yum!! Turn the heat up so that the mixture simmers for just a moment. You'll end up with a clear, yellowish syrup that's the most amazing liquid on earth. It will take all your strength not drink it all or take a bath in it. Or take a bath in it while drinking it. Anyways, this stuff is good. Real good. 

Turn your cake out on a board: 

BOOM! Okay, okay, so it's not the prettiest cake in the world, but it's delicious. That's all that matters isn't it? 

Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake, and try not to gobble the whole thing down while it cools. 

Enjoy! 

Lemon Tea Cake: 

Ingredients: 

For the Cake:

2 Sticks of Butter, room temperature 

2 Cups Granulated Sugar 

4 Large Eggs, room temperature 

1/4 Cup Freshly Grated Lemon Zest (About 4 Lemons)

3 Cups All-Purpose Flour 

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder 

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda 

1 Teaspoon Salt 

3/4 Cup Freshly Squeezed Lemon Zest 

3/4 Cup Milk, room temperature 

2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract 

For the Glaze: 

1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar

The Zest of One Lemon (About 1 1/2 Tablespoons) 

The Juice of One Lemon (About 1/4 Cup) 

Directions: 

1- Zest lemons. Set Aside. 

2- Mix 3/4 cup of lemon juice, 3/4 milk, and 2 Teaspoons vanilla. Set Aside. 

3- Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set Aside. 

4- In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar. Mix for about 5 minutes, adding lemon zest and eggs. 

5- Add the lemon juice/milk/vanilla mixture. Mix thoroughly. 

6- In one dump, add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix thoroughly. 

7- Pour batter into a well greased pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to hour.

8- Turn oven off and allow cake to sit in the turned-off oven for five to ten minutes. 

9- While the cake is cooling, combine the zest of one lemon, the juice of one lemon, and 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Allow glaze to simmer for just a moment, and then remove from heat. 

10- Turn the cake out onto a board. Poke holes in the top and spoon the glaze over the top of the cake. 

11- Let cool. Enjoy! 

Here's the link to the recipe I adapted to make this one: 

http://chindeep.com/2010/06/16/lemon-tea-cake/

Love and Happy Reading!

Gayle