Kitchen Class with Xyra #2

In the Kitchen with Kaya and Xyra

Recipe of the ____ (Day, Week, Month, Year)

Lemon Cake

Hi! Melody told you about the picnic and mentioned the cake we took for the cake walk. I'm going to show you what we made. This shoot is from before the picnic. Fun preparations!

When Lanie hosted Kitchen Class, she and Xyra used a family recipe. Today we are using and adapting a recipe from the Domino Sugar Sweet Talk cookbook.

Our base is going to be a simple yellow cake. So this is the recipe we'll follow. 

(giggles) Can you tell we use this recipe a lot? (giggles) I think there was a batter spatter incident in the past. We'll make it lemon by replacing the vanilla with lemon juice and lemon zest.

So the first thing you want to do is preheat the oven. Then prepare your cake pans. We have 2 pans buttered, floured, and wax paper-we're out of parchment paper-is in the bottom.

Next the recipe asks for sifted flour. We used a sifter for the first sifting. 

Then added the other dry ingredients...you know, baking powder and salt...

and sifted the second time using a whisk. Now we put the dry ingredients aside. 

Place the bowl carefully, don't bang it or you'll have to sift again (singing) sift again, like we did last summer...

In another bowl we cream together the butter and sugar. Add the lemon zest and juice and mix again.

Then add one egg at a time, mixing after each one. The recipe calls for 3 eggs.

Remember to scrape the sides of the bowl to get everything mixed together.

Now we add the milk and the flour mixture a little at a time. Alternating milk and dry.

Batter is done! 

There was a little left over, so Xyra grabbed a couple of smaller pans to make a couple of layers for me and my sisters.

While we wait for the cakes to bake we set up the cooling rack and check out the icing recipe.

We're going to modify a buttercream recipe.

[Time passes-timer buzzes]

Don't the cakes look nice! Lovely golden brown. Now they sit in the pan for 10 minutes.

This is what happens when you don't coat the pans properly. 

Luckily, my sisters and I don't care what it looks like. I tried some of the crumbs and the cake has a very delicate lemon flavor to it.

While the cakes cool more we'll make the icing. Butter, powdered sugar, salt, lemon juice, and a bit of lemon zest too.

Icing is done. Pretty, huh?

The best part about making icing from scratch is liking the beater afterward. Yum!

Done! We could use a class or two in cake decorating, but it looks homey and tasty.

What do you think? Do you like to bake? Do you usually use a mix or start from scratch - doing it all yourself?

This past week we made another lemon cake, but only one layer. The math was frightful! So we consulted Lady Vanyer. Plus we made it more lemony. Also super yummy!

So glad you stopped. Come again soon!