If you have following The Traveling Locavores on social media, you know that Steve has decided to take up baking. And he is really good at it! A Taste of Sunshine Lemon Cake has become one of our personal favorites.

Steve proudly presents his beautifully glazed loaves of A Taste of Sunshine Lemon Cake

During all of the years we spent in the catering business I couldn’t get Steve interested in cooking or baking. But somehow now he finds baking to be soothing. What he loves about baking is exactly what annoys me. He loves the precise measurements.

So that means that he doesn’t mind zesting a ton of lemons to get precisely the exact amount called for. He enjoys squeezing however many lemons required to prepare this lovely cake that tastes like sunshine itself.

This particular recipe was inspired by Smitten Kitchen’s recipe which was adapted from a lemon cake recipe in Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa Parties. It’s easy enough for a novice baker, but tastes complex. A Taste of Sunshine Lemon Cake hits all the right notes of flavor. It is tender and moist, tart with just the right amount of sweetness and most importantly – it’s crave-able!!!

My professional training taught me a couple of things that I wanted Steve to understand. First, read the recipe though to the end so that you have no surprises. For example, you couldn’t make this lemon cake without having enough fresh lemons on hand. Bottled lemon juice would not create that sunshiny flavor or aroma. Second, “mise en place”! I smile with pride when I watch Steve take everything needed from the fridge and pantry. Then he measures the amounts needed for each ingredient. It’s a good thing we have a lot of measuring cups and spoons along with an assortment of bowls.

Lemon loaves in the oven and rising nicely.

As you know, we live in our RV Ladybug. When we were looking for our perfect rig we actually wanted one that did not have an oven. That meant we had a nice big cabinet under the gas stove top. To address the issue of not having an oven, we purchased a Breville Smart Oven Air that sits atop my mechanics tool chest that holds the tools of my trade. All of my beautiful knives ride well cushioned in the top drawer. Baking items like cookie cutters and spatulas in the second drawer and so on.

A Taste of Sunshine Lemon Cakes cooling in their pans

A pair of fully baked A Taste of Sunshine Lemon Cakes waiting for their crowning touch of Lemon Glaze

The Breville oven performs so many duties including toasting, baking, roasting, pizza baking, dehydrating, proofing bread and air frying. And it is a convection oven. There was a bit of trial and error involved with baking. And we learned that we need to reduce the heat by 25 degrees for baking cakes to perfection. The temperature given in the recipe below is for a conventional oven. If you are using a convection oven or a toaster oven like ours you most likely will need to reduce the temperature by 25 degrees. And check the cake a few minutes before the time given, which is always a good policy. All ovens are calibrated a bit differently!

Tender and lemony, A Taste of Sunshine Lemon Cake is a delightful treat!

A Taste of Sunshine Lemon Cake

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A moist and tender cake with just the right balance of tart and sweet. It can be baked in two loaf pans or a bundt pan. It’s easy to make and will brighten the most dismal day!

• Total Time: 0 hours
• Yield: 16 servings 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

8–ounces unsalted butter (2 sticks)

2 cups granulated sugar plus 1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup finely grated lemon zest, from about 7-8 lemons

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt, preferably Diamond Crystals

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from the zested lemons) plus 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the glaze:

3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from the zested lemons)

2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted to remove all lumps

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Spray two 8 1/2-inch X 5-inch non-stick loaf pans with baking spray.
2. Cream together the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy. About 5 minutes. While mixing at medium speed add the eggs, one at a time, and the lemon zest.
3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. In another bowl, mix together the 1/4 cup lemon juice, buttermilk and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the butter and sugar, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
4. Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice in a small saucepan and heat over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Invert them onto a rack set over a tray, and spoon lemon syrup over cakes. Let cakes cool completely.
5. When the loaves are done remove from the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack while still in the pans. Then invert them onto the wire rack and allow to cool completely.
6. For the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and the remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice in a bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Place a baking sheet or tinfoil under the wire rack with the cakes. Spoon over the tops of the cooled cakes, allowing the glaze to drip down the sides of the loaves.

Notes

We usually wrap one loaf in plastic wrap and put in a ziplock bag to store in the freezer. It freezes well for 1-2 months.

• Author: Sandy Axelrod adapted from Smitten Kitchen
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 45-60 minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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