E5 ALSO INSIDE » With these recipes from Toni Tipton-Martin’s “Jubilee,” you can serve an elegant meal, or cook the dishes individually. The Mashed Turnips and Carrots with Rum, Green Beans Amandine and Lemon Tea Cake would be perfect for the holiday tab

This cake — a triple-lemon affair of zesty yellow cake, drizzled with syrup and crowned with an optional glaze — has become a Christmas tradition for Tipton-Martin and her family.

Softened butter or

shortening for the pan 3 cups all-purpose flour,

plus more for the pan ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup fresh lemon juice 1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 sticks (8 ounces) butter,

at room temperature 2½ cups granulated sugar 5 large eggs

¼ cup loosely packed

grated lemon zest Lemon Glaze (optional;

recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Generously coat a 10-inch tube or Bundt pan or two 8-inch loaf pans with butter or shortening. Dust lightly with flour, shaking to remove any excess.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a liquid measuring cup, combine ¼ cup of the lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed until light, about 2 minutes. With the mixer running, add 2 cups of the sugar, 1 cup at a time, while beating on medium speed until incorporated. Continue beating until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer still on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until the eggs are completely incorporated. Beat in the lemon zest.

With the mixer on low, beat in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the lemon-juice-buttermilk mixture, and beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until the batter is smooth.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the remaining ½ cup sugar and ½ cup lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir the syrup for a few minutes to cool slightly.

With a wooden skewer, poke holes over the bottom of

In a small liquid measuring cup, combine the lemon juice and sugar and whisk until the glaze is smooth. Makes enough for 1 large cake.

Per serving, based on 4: 210 calories (percent of calories from fat, 63), 7 grams protein, 14 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams fiber, 16 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 8 milligrams cholesterol, 41 milligrams sodium. Adapted from “Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking” (Clarkson Potter, $35) by Toni-Tipton Martin

WENDELL BROCK. FOOD STYLING BY WENDELL BROCK PHOTOS TAKEN AT THE HOME OF Toni Tipton-Martin bakes her Lemon Tea Cake at Christmastime; it’s a triple-lemon affair of zesty yellow cake, drizzled with lemon syrup and crowned with an optional lemon glaze. The recipe is from her cookbook “Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking” (Clarkson Potter, $35).

Lemon Tea Cake at Christmastime.