Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Lemon Buttermilk Cake welcomes fixed oven
After last week’s kitchen troubles of a leaky freezer, this week my oven went kaput.
As I worried about how I was going to continue to do my job while scraping together the money to buy a new one (we’re also saving for a new washing machine and tires for our car while trying not to dip into the money we had saved for our anniversary trip to Hawaii that was postponed by coronavirus), my husband — the much calmer and mechanically inclined one in our relationship — figured out what was wrong with it, bought the part and fixed it.
He fixed it! For less than what we would have paid for a service call by a repair shop.
So naturally, to show my appreciation and to christen the new part, I had to bake a cake.
I had not planned for this week’s section to be so sweet — but here I am.
The mixing method for this cake goes against most recipes — the butter and sugar are not creamed, then followed by the eggs. Instead, all of the dry ingredients are mixed, then the butter is worked in, and then the eggs and buttermilk. Speaking of buttermilk, I do not recommend using regular milk soured with vinegar or lemon juice here. Buttermilk’s tangy flavor is what makes this cake stand out from other lemon cakes.
The resulting cake, brushed with a lemon glaze while still warm, is moist and tender. It is delicious as is, but a dollop of whipped cream and some fresh, local blackberries really make it shine.
A stand mixer isn’t needed for this recipe, but I do recommend using an electric mixer. The batter is quite thick, and you’d need a very sturdy whisk and even sturdier arm to mix it by hand.
Lemon Buttermilk Cake
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
Finely grated zest of 1 to 3 lemons