Spiced Lemon Cake

I went to a wedding last Saturday. There was the bride looking beautiful, the groom suitably smitten with his lovely lady and everyone had much fun. I also came home with lemons. The reception was at the brides parents’ house and was very beautiful but I spied a lemon tree and just couldn’t help myself and had to pick some lemons.

You see I have an obsession with lemons, well more to the point growing lemons. You see lemon trees pepping out from back yards loaded with lemons, but despite trying 3 times to grow a lemon tree I’ve never succeeded. My next door neighbours lemon tree taunts me with its heavily laden branches not more than 4 meters where one of our failed attempts was planted. I think I’m just not destined to grow lemons. So when I saw this beautiful tree I just couldn’t help myself.

I love this spiced lemon cake, its lemony without being over powering and it has cardamom in it which just adds a hint of spice and compliments the lemon so well. I actually made this cake after I stumbled upon it on Shutterbean.com I loved Tracy’s description of why you should make this cake where she outlined the domestic chaos in her life and states “THIS is the cake that you must turn to to quiet the shit storm you’ve just encountered”

And she is right its the prefect cake to have with a cup of tea whilst hiding in your children’s cubby house pretending your children are not trashing the house/trying to kill each other/covering themselves in mud/ generally making enough noise to be heard in the next city.

Let’s make Spiced Lemon Cake

There is zesting of lemons

creaming of sugar, butter lemon zest and cardamon

    

eggs and sour cream

lemon juice

sifitng action

plus baking action

Spiced lemon cake – recipe adapted from the awesome Shutterbean.com

125 grams butter softened

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon bi carb

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

1 tlb finely grated lemon zest plus 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice(you’ll need 2 lemons)

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (yeah it seems like a lot so use less if you want but I reckon any less and it might be too subtle but that’s just me)

2 eggs (make sure they are at room temp)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups icing mixture

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. grease round cake pan ( I used 20 cm pan).

Sift together flour, baking powder, bi carb, and salt.

Cream butter, granulated sugar, zest, and cardamom with a mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition (if they are straight form the fridge they might give the butter a split look but it all should come good).

Beat in 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Reduce speed, beat in 1/3 flour mixture then half sour cream, next 1/3 flour mixture rest of sout cream then rest of flour mixture. Pour batter into cake pan.

Bake until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 30 minutes. (or more like 1 hour if you have an oven like mine). Turn out onto a wire rack. Let cool.

Whisk icing mixture with remaining 3 tablespoons lemon juice until smooth; pour over cooled cake, sprinkle so extra lemon zest over the top.

Eat with a cup of tea whilst hiding from children

This post is part of the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop  – Lemons