Lemon Bundt Cake

When life hands you lemons you bake a cake! At least that's what I decided to do with some lemons sitting in my fridge. Since I really wanted to bake something yesterday; I decided to try this bundt cake recipe from my Cooking Illustrated cookbook. However, I didn't have buttermilk on hand, and since my car was in the shop I didn't have a way of getting to the grocery store. Fortunately, my Joy the Baker cookbook explained to me a way where I can make my own butter milk. All you do is take a cup of low-fat or skim milk and add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice (or vinegar) and let it rest for two minutes. And, there you have it. Homemade buttermilk. This recipe was simply delicious. Of course, you have to be fan of lemons, but it was really moist. I think that might be why the cake fell apart when trying to take it out of the bundt pan. Oh well. It still tasted good. Enjoy!

Ingredients for cake:
3 tbsp grated lemon zest plus 3 tbsp lemon juice (3 lemons)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs plus 1 large yolk, room temperature
2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar

Ingredients for icing:
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp buttermilk
2 cups confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)

Take out your bundt cake pan and spray it with cooking spray and lightly flour the pan. Set your oven to 350 degrees.
Now, take out a small bowl and add in the lemon zest and lemon juice. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Take a large bowl, and whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Next, take a medium sized bowl and add in the buttermilk, vanilla, and lemon juice mixture. Set aside.
Now, put the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and mix at medium speed for 3 minutes or until they are light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low, and add in half the eggs. Scrape down sides of the bowl and add in the rest of the eggs. Mix until incorporated.
Next, reduce speed to low and add in a little of the flour mixture. Stir. Add in about half the lemon mixture. Stir. Add in a little more of the flour mixture. Stir. Add in the rest of the lemon mixture. Stir. Add in the rest of the flour mixture. Stir. Stop the mixer. Stir by hand one more time. Then, pour batter into the bundt pan. Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes until golden or until a toothpick when inserted comes out clean. Let cake cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then invert the cake on the rack.


While the cake is baking (or cooling); begin making the icing. Take a medium sized bowl and add in the 2 tbsp of lemon juice, the powdered sugar, and buttermilk. Whisk. Add in more lemon juice only if the icing is too thick. I didn't need to add the additional tablespoon of lemon juice. Pour half the glaze on the warm cake. Let stand for one hour. Then pour the remaining half of the glaze onto the cake. Best eaten the day it's made, but can be wrapped up and eaten the next day. It will take consistency of pound cake once eaten the next day or two. Enjoy!

(click here for printable recipe)