Mix-in-the-Pan Lemon Cake
I started with pretty straightforward changes, omitting the espresso granules and replacing the cocoa powder with an equivalent amount of flour. Next, instead of red wine vinegar, I subbed freshly squeezed lemon juice. I further amped up the lemon flavor by adding lemon zest and replacing the vanilla extract with lemon extract.
The cake turned out nice, but I wanted more lemon flavor and the texture wasn't quite as light and airy as the chocolate version. I tweaked the second version by increasing the lemon zest and getting rid of the extra flour. Winner!
This is the perfect spur-of-the-moment cake to bake. There are no eggs or butter to cream, so you can prepare the batter directly in the pan. If you have a scale, just place your cake pan on top and weigh everything directly into it. Pop in the oven and find something to do for the next 30 minutes, because you really won't have much to clean up.
The cake is best served right out of the pan; we just leave the pan on the kitchen island covered with a sheet of wax paper so family members can help themselves any time. It's the perfect snacking cake, and yet it's also glam enough to serve to guests alongside some fresh fruit and a dollop of whipped cream!
Inspired by Cal Peternell's Mix-in-the-Pan Chocolate Cake from his Twelve Recipes cookbook
Makes one 8-9" round cake
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In an ungreased 8" or 9" round cake pan, whisk together:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (195g)
1 cup sugar (200g)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
In a measuring cup, combine:
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
2-3 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon extract
Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid ingredients. Whisk until smooth, making sure to get into the edges.
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