Ultra Lemon Cake

Ultra-Lemon Cake, recipe available in Baking By Flavor by Lisa Yockelson. The cake's soft and fine, with a delightful and refreshing lemony tang. I've made adjustments such as reducing the sugar and the amount of topping and I think the only improvement needed is more lemon rind. This is an awesome cake for tea.

Ultra Lemon Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
3/4 t salt (I omitted this)
1/2 double action baking powder (my addition)
1 3/4 sticks (200g) unsalted butter, softened
2 T shortening (I used Crisco)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar* (reduced from 2 cups)
4 large eggs, separated
1 cup buttermilk (I used regular fresh milk + a squeeze of lemon)
1/8 t cream of tartar
3 T granulated sugar*

* the recipe calls for lemon-scented granulated sugar but I didn't bother with that

Lemon Rind Soak
1 1/2 T  (increased from 1 1/3 T) freshly grated lemon rind
1 1/2 t pure lemon extract (I sub with fresh lemon juice)
1 T freshly squeezed & drained lemon juice
--combine and set aside for 15 minutes.

Lemon Soaking Glaze
1/2 cup freshly squeezed & strained lemon juice
1/3 cup granulated sugar (reduced from 1/3 cup + 2 t)
1/4 t pure lemon extract (I sub with fresh lemon juice)
--combine everything in a non-reactive (enamel or glass) pot and set over moderate heat to dissolve sugar completely, about 5 minutes. Use warm or hot over warm or cool cake, never cool glaze over cool cake.

Lemon Pouring Topping (this is half the recipe amount; double it as desired)
1 cup icing sugar
2 1/2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 T unsalted butter, melted & cooled
--Mix everything in a bowl with a hand whisk (recipe says an electric one but I didn't and it was fine) and whisk until well-combined and smooth without any lumps of icing sugar. The topping should be thick but pourable. Adjust the consistency by adding more icing sugar or lemon juice.

1. Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease a 10 inch/23 cm Bundt pan.
2. Sift flour, salt and baking soda.
3. Cream butter and shortening using an electric mixer at medium speed, 3 minutes. Beat in the 1 1/2 cups sugar, adding in 3 additions. Beat in the egg yolks and then the lemon rind soak.
4. On low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. The batter will be thick.
5. Beat the egg whites, add the cream of tartar, then the 3 T sugar, and beat until stiff peaks stage.
6. Lighten the butter mixture by mixing 1/4 of the beaten egg whites, then fold in all the remaining egg white, making sure the egg white is incorporated well.
7. Spoon the batter into the Bundt pan, shake to level it and place into the preheated oven. Bake 50 to 55 minutes until a wooden skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
8. Let cake stand 10 to 15 min, then invert onto a cooling rack. Place a piece of greaseproof paper to catch any drips when glazing, or just move semi-cooled cake to a serving plate.
9. When cake is still warm, you can spoon the soaking glaze over it. After at least 15 minutes (so that the glaze has permeated the cake), pour the topping over the cake. Cool cake completely before serving. No need to chill. Serve with some seasonal fruits, such as berries.