When life gives you lemons, don’t make lemonade… try lemon cake instead!

I love lemon desserts – lemon bars, lemon meringue pie, and shortbread with lemon curd – almost as much as I love chocolate. I had some lemons left over from the baking class I taught last week and kept thinking I would make lemon bars with them. Although lemon bars sounded delicious, I have made them many times before and already have a recipe I like very much. I wanted to try something new. While looking through my Barefoot Contessa at Home book, I came across a recipe for Lemon Yogurt Cake. Perfect! I decided to use some sour cream I had that needed to be used up (I bought light sour cream on accident, which I knew needed to go). I figured that sour cream is similar enough to yogurt that it would substitute well. And it definitely did. The cake is not as low in calories as it would have been with the yogurt, but I got to use up my sour cream and I think the cake turned out fantastically.

The surprising thing about this cake is that the only lemon in the cake batter is lemon zest. While the cake bakes, the juice of a few lemons and sugar is cooked together, and then poured over the warm cake. It makes the cake moist and very lemony. Finally, a lemon-powdered sugar glaze is drizzled over the cooled cake. The result is a moist, bright, not-too-sweet cake that is very satisfying, despite the absence of butter in the recipe. I can’t wait to have a piece of it with my coffee tomorrow morning.

I want to try this cake next with orange zest and juice. I think it would be a bit sweeter, but equally delicious.

Lemon Sour Cream Cake, adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, copyright 2006

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sour cream (or plain whole-milk yogurt)
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. It’s ok if some of the mixture falls off the side of the cake – it will be plenty lemony. Cool.

 

For the glaze, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake. 
 

I didn’t want my leftover lemon juice to go to waste, so I froze it in an ice cube tray. I will either use the lemon juice cubes in other recipes requiring fresh lemon juice, add them to my water, or to iced tea in the summer!