Lemon Chiffon Cake

March 29: National Lemon Chifffon Cake Day

We recently blogged about lemon macarons to welcome the spring season. Their sunshine yellow color and fresh lemon scent brighten up our days when it is cloudy or when there are spring showers. Likewise, during Lent, we like to eat a light dessert, such as lemon chiffon cake. The zesty glaze enhances the fruit’s flavor of this simple, citrusy treat.

Make lemon chiffon cake with lemon butter glaze to celebrate spring, a love for lemons and National Lemon Chiffon Cake Day!

Recipe

(Adapted from AllRecipes.com)

For the lemon chiffon cake

• 1 ¾ cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/4 cup sugar, divided use
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• 6 eggs, divided use
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ¾ cup water
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions

Zest and juice one lemon. Separate the eggs, reserving the yolks and whites. In a bowl, combine the cake flour, salt, baking powder and ½ cup of sugar. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks. Add the vegetable oil, water and lemon zest and mix well.

Stir the lemon extract in the batter. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with cream of tartar and peaks form. Gradually add the remaining ¾ cup sugar and continue beating until stiff.

Fold a portion of the egg whites into the batter and gently blend well. Continue folding in the egg whites until the batter is evenly mixed. Put the batter in an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, testing for doneness with a toothpick.

Remove the cake from the oven and invert the tube pan with the cake still in it. Allow it to cool completely. Loosen the edges with a spatula to remove the cake. Brush away any crumbs and place on a wire rack. Prepare the glaze.

For the lemon butter glaze

(Adapted from Wilton)

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon grate lemon zest
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Mix in the lemon zest. Gradually stir in the powdered sugar. Mix in the fresh lemon juice and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Use immediately on the cake before it hardens.

Pour the glaze on the top of the cake and allow it to drip down the sides. Quickly spread the glaze around the sides of the cake (optional). Allow the glaze to set/harden before slicing the cake.

Notes

• We love the lemony butter glaze a lot! So in addition to drizzling it on top of the cake, we iced the sides as well to get the full flavor of the citrus all over.
• Look for more lemon recipes on our blog.