A Lemon Layer Cake, Daffodils, and Limoncello!

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There is just something so cheerful about the color yellow!  So many of us need this bright and sunny hue at this time of year when we are so winter-weary!  Those who live in the most northern regions of the Northern Hemisphere have had a most challenging winter season this year and I sympathize with them completely, having lived the majority of my life in Iowa where winters can be very severe!
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So please don't hate me as I sat on my deck in the soothing warm March sun in South Carolina while my lemon cake baked in the oven.  The daffodils and pansies were nodding their pretty little heads as the scent of of citrus perfumed my house.  It was truly a moment of spring-is-near bliss!

This month the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club's theme is appropriately, timely, and seasonally named "Notes of Citrus".  So very perfect for this time of year when citrus is at the peak of freshness!   Try to get on over to Val's blog (More Than Burnt Toast) for the Linky to share a post if you have one; click on this { link } to join in the foodie fun!  For my contribution to the get-together, I selected a dessert.  I could not resist this recipe that was named "Nathan's Lemon Cake" in the 2008 archives of Cooking Light magazine, that was originally prepared for a young man's birthday and which earned an 'outstanding' rating from the Cooking Light food journalists.  Well, they were right!  And it's just so pretty too!

The only changes that I made were for the purpose of increasing the level of moistness of the cake:  I reduced the baking time from 30 minutes to 20 minutes and it made all the difference!  Don't overcook this at all!  I also added 2 Tablespoons of Limoncello to the icing in order to make it less thick; it was quite thick without it.  Both of these changes made this cake simply incredible.  So much so, that my husband had two slices and my father who has a very small appetite also ate an entire slice!  Wonderful to enjoy another light recipe that is bursting with flavor!

Lemon Cake

Cooking spray
2  Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2  cups all-purpose flour
1  tsp. baking powder
1/2  tsp. baking soda
1/2  tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2  cup unsalted butter, softened
3  large eggs
1  cup non-fat buttermilk
2  Tbsp. grated lemon zest
2  Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Icing

3  cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Limoncello (my only addition)
Lemon slices, cut in half, or strips of lemon rind for garnish.
Fresh sprig of mint for garnish.
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Preheat oven to 350°.
Coat 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; line bottoms of pans with wax paper.
Coat wax paper with cooking spray.
Dust pans with 2 tablespoons flour, and set aside.
Lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife.
Combine 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
Place sugar and 1/2 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a hand-held blender/mixer at medium speed until well blended.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
Beat in 2 tablespoons lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Do not overbake.
Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans.
Cool completely on wire rack; remove wax paper from cake layers.

With a hand-held electric blender, combine powdered sugar and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread half of icing on top of cake.
Top with remaining cake layer.
Spread remaining half of icing over top of cake.
Garnish with lemon wedges or strips, if desired.
I also added a sprig of fresh mint from my garden.
Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.

Calories:  317 per slice (if cake is cut into 16 total slices).

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The daffodils have been opening up that were just breaking ground a few weeks ago!  

Such a welcome sight!

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I love this green cut-glass pedestal cake stand.  It's just perfect for spring and even summer!  The silver cake server adds a touch of shine and elegance too.

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Simply lusciously lemon!  

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Beauty in simplicity . . . my way of looking at the world around me that never fails.

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