The Anthem LemonAid Challenge is an incredible charity event that I look forward to every year. It is an awesome opportunity to support the Children’s Hospital at VCU and specifically the Hematology and Oncology Clinic at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. Also, lemon-flavored foods are a ton of fun.
Obviously this year was going to be different than years past for the folks over at the Anthem LemonAid Challenge, so when they approached me about judging the LemonAid Stir Up a Cure Baking Challenge I jumped at the opportunity. In addition to judging the contest, I wanted to create a delicious lemon-based dessert for everyone to try at home, so I present to you “The Extra Lemony LemonAid Cake!”.
If you are interested in participating in the Stir Up a Cure LemonAid Baking Challenge create a lemon-based dish and post it to social media, use the hashtag #RVALemonChallenge and tag @AnthemLemonAidRVA. Make sure to share your creation and encourage your friends/family to participate or donate to this amazing cause.
Check out the recipe below and give it a try for yourself, if you are a fan of extra tart, lemony desserts, you won’t be disappointed by this mouth-puckering delight!
LemonAid Cake!
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium6
servings40
minutes30
minutesLight and refreshing lemon cake with a tangy lemon glaze and delicious candied lemon zest. The perfect choice for a hot afternoon with a glass of iced tea!
Ingredients
- For the Lemon Cake
2 oz 2 , softened butter
2 oz 2 , canola oil
3/4 cup 3/4 sugar
2 eggs
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup 3/4 milk
1 1/2 cup 1 1/2 all purpose flour
1 tsp 1 baking powder
1/2 tsp 1/2 salt
- For the Candied Lemon Zest
2 lemons
2 cups 2 water
1/2 cup 1/2 sugar
1 cup 1 of sugar
- Lemonade Glaze
Juice of 1 lemon
2 cups 2 of confectioners sugar
1/4 tsp 1/4 salt
Directions
- To make the Lemon Cake.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Cream the butter, olive oil, and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs 1 by 1 until they are well incorporated.
- Add the lemon zest and juice, mix well.
- Add the milk, flour, baking powder, and salt, continue to mix until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Transfer the cake batter to a greased, 9” cake pan, place it in the preheated oven and bake until golden brown and firm, approximately 30 minutes.
- Place the cake pan on a resting rack to cool, turn the cake out of the pan onto the rack before it cools completely, and begins to stick to the pan.
- Follow the assembly instructions below to garnish your cake!
- To make the Candied Lemon Zest
- Peel the lemon zest with a peeler, being careful to remove the yellow skin only and not the white inner pith. Reserve the lemons for the lemonade glaze.
- Slice the lemon zest thinly with a knife, it should be finely sliced into thin shreds.
- Place the lemon zest in a small saucepan and cover with water.
- Bring the lemon zest to a boil over high heat and remove, allow it to stand for 10 minutes.
- Drain the water from the lemon zest, now add the 2 cups over water to the lemon zest pan and the 1/2 a cup of sugar.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and continue to cook until the water has almost completely evaporated. The lemon zest should be almost translucent and the syrup surrounding the zest should be thick like corn syrup.
- Strain the syrup from the lemon zest and toss in the remaining 1 cup of sugar.
- Reserve the candied lemon zest until later.
- To make the Lemonade Glaze
- In a bowl combine the lemon juice, confectioners sugar, and salt.
- Stir until well mixed and reserve for later.
- To assemble and garnish the Lemonade Cake
- Place the cake on a cake stand or plate.
- Carefully pour the lemonade glaze onto the center of the cake. Spread the glaze in circles using the back of a spoon or an offset spatula.
- Sprinkle the candied lemon zest over the top of the cake.
- Allow the cake to sit for 10-15 minutes for the glaze to set before serving.
- Enjoy!
What are your favorite lemon-based desserts? Let me know in the comments and I’ll give them a try!
Cheers!
