make-him-your-slave lemon cake

It was at a wedding reception a few months back, when I was throwing my gangly arms in the faces of British strangers and screaming the lyrics to a classic sing-along, that a petite Scottish woman walked up and tugged on my party dress. "I'm Frances," she said in a quiet but sturdy Susan Boyle-esque voice, "Did you get my lemon cake?" Whaa? Up until that point, I was sure I had been modest on the refilling of my glass but now I was suspicious of the stealthful dancing kilts around me. I knew they had it out for me. Oh sure, pick on the American who can't hold her liquor, it's not like I threw up red wine the first night in town. [Looks at the ceiling and whistles.]

Her accent had nothing to do with the fact that I had no idea what she was talking about. A lemon cake? Well, turns out my boyfriend's mum had bragged to her friend about my blog and the poor woman had sent me a lemon cake recipe that never made it to my inbox. She must have thought I deliberately ignored her. Grreeeaatt start to meeting the fam across the pond.

She soon re-sent that recipe, along with a bold, not-so-shy-anymore preface that read: "Make this for [boyfriend's name] and he will be your slave forever." What a wolf in sheep's clothing. She and I would get along just fine.

And she was right. The beau loved the lemon cake. But you know who really goes nuts for moist, zesty lemon cake? Pregnant women. My friend at work, weeks from giving birth to a baby boy, can't stop with the lemon cake. It's delicious cold with your coffee, in my opinion, but it's also incredible still warm. Pierced and drizzled with tart lemon-sugar glaze, it lays right down on your tongue and gives a kiss to each and every taste bud. Bite after bite, slice after slice. If I can scarf half a cake in minutes without child, god help me when I'm pregnant. God help everyone.

Frances' Lemon Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup milk

Glaze:

juice of 1 lemon

1/2-1 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. 

2. Mix together sugar and butter. Add eggs and lemon zest; mix well. Add flour and baking powder to mixture. Add milk to consistency--smooth but not runny. Pour into loaf pan.

3. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until golden brown and a tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

4. Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. Make glaze by combining the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice. (Tip: You can keep adding sugar to make it a sweet, smooth glaze, or just a little to keep it rough and more sour.) While the cake is still warm, pierce the loaf with a toothpick and pour the glaze over, allowing it to soak in. Serve warm or cool.

Thanks Frances!

Comments

[katch]

i could certainly use a slave-inducing confection on my chap. thank you, DD. and thank youuuu, Frances.

[Gera @ SweetsFoods]

The cake looks absolutely gorgeous and irresistible..love the mix between sweet and lemony!

Cheers!
Gera

[The Duo Dishes]

Way to go Frances! If it's that good, we gotta try it. Citrus is our love.

[noble pig]

Okay, I will try to make someone my personal slave, LOL!

[gastroanthropologist]

love sweet and citrusy. I'll have to try this out on my husband...

[Rachel]

Woot! I need a slave making recipe like this in my repertoire. Love the picture of the lemons in the bowl.

[Sara Rose]

Making this today!

[Deelish Dish]

katch - Please, you're such a fibber. I know you.

Gera - Thanks! It is incredibly irresistible.

Duo Dishes - I'm realizing citrus is my love too. Which means I'm becoming my mother.

noble pig - You should! Lemon cake is a sure thing.

gastroanthropologist - It's a flawless combo. Hope he likes it.

Rachel - Thanks for the kudos! That's my fave pic too :)

Sara Rose - Let me know how it goes. I want to see if my pregnant woman theory is correct.

[Sara Rose]

This cake is f*****g awesomeness. I mean, I wante to go hide in the bathroom and shovel it into my face. But I decided you were right that it would taste awesome cold. Then, there may be no holds barred on the bathroom eathaton.

[EB]

Ok... now that's a cute 'order' from an old broad!

[jen]

well I'm 7 months along.... i'm in for it.