I’ve been on a mission lately to find some great, fool-proof cake recipes as I’ve had many duds in the past. Mostly what happens is my cakes collapse or are dry. I finally found a lovely vanilla buttermilk recipe which I added lemon too, and also added on top a lemon butter icing. I decided to try this recipe in a bundt pan.
I made this cake for a work morning tea (and we have a lot of them at my work!). I’m lucky that I have people at work who like to eat the things I bake. If I had to keep and eat it myself at home I would end up twice the size I am!
At the moment I only have a hand-held mixer to use when making cakes, and cookies etc. I am waiting for the day I get my Kitchenaid (Raspberry coloured) and have given Rich and my family notice I want it for my 30th birthday which is in March, 2014!
Serves 12
The Cake
250g (1 2/3 cup) self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
125g unsalted butter, softened and diced
275g (1 1/4 cup) caster sugar
80ml olive oil (extra virgin)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 lemons, zested
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
125ml (1/2 cup) buttermilk
Lemon Butter Icing
430g (2 2/3 cups) icing sugar
100g salted butter, softened
1 1/2 tbs verjuice*
2 lemons, zested and juiced
*Verjuice is unripe grape juice. If you don’t have it, it can be omitted.
Preheat the oven to 170C. Spray the bundt pan with oil to grease it which will help you remove it was cooked and cooled.
Sift the flour with the baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt into a bowl.
With an electric mixer (hand or stand) beat the butter, sugar, oil, vanilla and lemon zest on high for 3 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure to beat them in for 30 seconds after each egg. Add half of the flour mixture, and half of the buttermilk and mix on low speed until just combined. Add the remaining flour and buttermilk, scrape down the bowl and mix on low until just combined.
Spoon the batter into the bundt pan, tap the pan on the bench a few times to get rid of any air bubbles and flatten the top with a spoon or spatula.
Bake on the bottom shelf of the oven for 20 minutes, after 20 minutes cover the cake with foil and continue to bake for another 15 minutes (testing with a skewer and making sure it comes out clean – if not, cook for another 5 minutes or until cooked through).
Cool in the pan for 20 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack until completely cooled.
For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the butter, verjuice, lemon zest and lemon juice and stir until combined.
Move the cake onto a plate and pour or spoon the icing thickly over the cake.
Spasmodic Kitchen 