Lemon Bundt Cake

It's the start of citrus season here in sunny California. Let's all celebrate with a homey, yummy Lemon Bundt Cake! I picked three lemons off my neighbor's tree (which I have spent 20 years training to grow over my fence) to make this cake. The cake is barely even yellow but it tastes quite lemony and has a softly dense texture. Look at the short list of ingredients. All good stuff! This is the sort of cake that has your family thinking, "Dang, no one makes cakes like Mom (or Dad)". I found this recipe in the book, "Under the Tuscan Sun" by Frances Mayes, so I have probably been making this cake since 1998 or 1999-with no end it sight-this is one of my favorite Bundt cakes.

Lemon Bundt Cake

For Cake
2 cups sugar
1 cup softened butter
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk (or milk, or cream, sour soured milk or cream)
3 T freshly squeezed lemon juice (don't use that stuff from the plastic lemon!)
4 tsp grated lemon zest (I use a microplane)

For Frosting

1/4 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 T. lemon juice

grated zest of one lemon (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Prepare a 12-cup Bundt pan for baking. (Pam for Baking is great, so is using the wrappers from the butter cubes and then adding a small sprinkle of flour). Cream butter and sugar, beating until light and creamy, about 5 minutes total. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then add 1/2 of the buttermilk, then 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/2 of the buttermilk, then 1/3 of the flour, beating after each addition. Add lemon juice and the grated zest to the cake batter, stir just to combine. Pour mixture into a prepared Bundt pan. Bake in preheated 300 degree oven for 50 - 70 minutes (original recipe said 50 minutes, but I always have to bake mine for 60-70 minutes). Remove cake from oven and let cool on a rack for a few minutes. Then invert cake and let cool completely on rack. When cake has cooled combine softened butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and optional zest. Casually glop the frosting on top of the cake, spreading to allow glaze to drip attractively down the sides. If desired, garnish cake top with curls of lemon rind.

Invite some friends over.  Have a nice little chat.  This cake is meant for casual sharing. Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today.  I'll put the kettle on in preparation for our next chat.