Naked Lemon Cake
 
 
Makes 1 6" round, 3-layer cake or 8" round, 2-layer cake
Ingredients
Cake:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk (see notes)
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Icing:
  • 2¼ cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
  • 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • lemon rind strips or kumquat slices (for decoration, optional)
Instructions
Make and bake the cake:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Prepare cake pans by first coating them with cooking spray. Then line bottoms with parchment paper and coat with more cooking spray. Finally, dust pans with flour, shake out excess and set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, stirring with a whisk.
  4. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and butter and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  5. With the mixer on low speed, add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
  6. Stir in lemon zest and lemon juice.
  7. Pour batter into the prepared pans and sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles.
  8. Bake cakes for 25-32 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cakes cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing them from the pans. Then let cakes cool completely on a wire rack before removing parchment paper.
Prepare the icing and assemble the cake:
  1. Combine the powdered sugar, butter, lemon zest and lemon juice in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth.
  2. If making a 3-layer cake, place one cake layer on a plate and pour ⅓ of the icing on top of cake, spreading it toward the edges. Top with second cake layer and pour another ⅓ of the icing on top of cake, spreading toward the edges. Top with the final cake layer and spread remaining icing on top. If making a 2-layer cake, do the same but divide the icing in half.
  3. Garnish with lemon rind strips or kumquat slices, if desired. Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.
Notes
I rarely buy buttermilk because it's so easy to make with ingredients you likely have on hand. Just pour 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar in a measuring cup and add enough milk to hit the 1-cup line. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes until curdled.
Recipe by Two of a Kind at http://www.twoofakindcooks.com/naked-lemon-cake/