Zesty Buttercream Lemon Cake

Sat, 18 November 2023

INGREDIENTS:

For The Cake:
225 g butter, room temperature
500 g white sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
420 g self-raising flour
3 g baking powder (½ teaspoon)
3 g bread soda (½ teaspoon)
5 g salt (1 teaspoon)
175 mls fresh lemon juice
155 mls buttermilk, room temperature
5 mls vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
Zest of half a lemon (1 teaspoon)

For The Glaze:
65 g icing sugar
120 mls fresh lemon juice
15 g butter, melted
For The Lemon Buttercream Frosting:
225 g butter, softened
450 g icing sugar
3 g salt (½ teaspoon)
10 mls pure vanilla extract (2 teaspoons)
40 mls strained fresh lemon juice
2 tsp fresh lemon zest

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Grease and flour two 8” cake pans (as an
alternative to the flour, use greaseproof paper).
2. In a large bowl, with an electric hand mixer or stand-up mixer, combine the butter and sugar
until creamy. Scrape the sides of the bowl then add the eggs. Mix again until fluffy, scraping the
sides of the bowl again before adding the dry ingredients,
3. In a small bowl, combine the four dry ingredients until blended. Add this mixture to the large
bowl, mixing until smooth. Add the buttermilk and mix again. Last, add the lemon juice and
vanilla, and mix again. Scrape the bowl and mix one more time to finish. Your batter will be
fluffy.
4. Divide the batter into the two greased cake pans until 1/2 or 2/3 full. You should have a little
batter left for a few cupcakes. Bake layers for 45-50 minutes (cupcakes bake for 25 minutes),
and remove from pan while still warm, setting them on greaseproof paper.
For The Glaze:
1. Combine icing sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl, mixing with whisk until smooth.
2. The option of the glaze is for those that love desserts with a powerful lemon kick. If you go
with this option, poke holes in the tops of the cake layers with a toothpick. Drizzle all the glaze
onto the cakes so that it will soak into the layers. Cover them completely with the glaze, while
avoiding the edges slightly.
3. Let the cakes fully cool before frosting them with the lemon buttercream. The glaze will have
soaked in by then.

For The Lemon Buttercream Frosting:
1. With a handheld mixer, blend the butter and icing sugar. Next add the salt and vanilla, mixing
again. Last, add the vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest. Be careful not to add too much lemon
juice, or the frosting will be too soft. Mix these together one last time, scraping the sides of the
bowl to ensure the butter is all incorporated. The frosting will be fluffy. You are bound to find
some lemon zest stuck to your beaters – this is to be expected.
2. Frost the first layer of cake, spreading the buttercream over the glaze. Place the next layer of
cake on top. Press it down slightly. Frost the top and the edges, smoothing as you go. This is
an ambient product and will last all week on the counter. Cover it with a large bowl or cake
dome to keep it fresh.