No Easter feast is complete without my mom’s “Lemon Delight Bundt Cake”. She’s pretty much made it ever since I can remember Easter ever happening. This is probably one of the best slices of cake you’ll ever have, and I don’t mean that lightly. It’s just the right amount of “lemony”. The perfect texture and density. The beautifully golden exterior hides a moisture rich interior that will make you attack it bite after bite. Leftovers taste even better, as the flavors have fully set into the cake. It’s amazing first thing in the morning with fresh fruit and a warm cup of dark coffee or english breakfast tea. Please don’t quote me as saying I suggest you have sugary cake for breakfast. Ha! Just thought I’d insert a little disclaimer. Although for the record, I have done so multiple times and Easter morning should be one of those times.
That said, you must also know this particular recipe is not dairy, sugar or gluten free. I could easily adapt it, but it would no longer have the same texture, moisture & incomparable taste. And because I’ve had it so many times, it would no longer be my mother’s beloved bundt. My husband and children love this recipe and as am hosting Easter this year, am sharing this cake with my husband’s family for Easter Brunch. There will be pancakes, fruit, maple ham, baked bacon, crustless quiche, raw strawberry cheesecake, homemade bunny chocolates, & this lemon bundt. Oh and an egg hunt! To take place in the frigid, icy backyard that seemed so inviting just as of last week. We had a green Christmas & a white Easter, go figure…
I’ve only made 2 tweaks to the original recipe: it has unbleached flour to make it more nutritious. The texture remains completely unaltered. It’s still her cake. And in lieu of white sugar I used coconut sugar because coconut and lemon make the world go round. And because coconut sugar does not create the same spike in your glycemic index that refined white sugar does. So there you have it, I hope you give this bad boy a try.
Lemon Delight Bundt
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups of unbleached white flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar (I used coconut sugar- but you can use any kind)
- 2 and 1/2 tsp of baking powder
- 1/2 tsp of sea salt
- 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- zest of 2 lemons (finely grated) or 2 tsp of lemon extract
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup of vegetable oil OR 3/4 cups of grass-fed butter. I love to use Rolling Meadow Dairy butter.
For the glaze/lemon syrup:
- 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup of organic icing sugar or granulated sugar
Instructions
- Turn the oven on to 325F and grease all sides, bottoms and creases of a bundt pan. Then dust/coat with flour. Shake off the excess into the kitchen sink. I tap the top and sides gently to remove excess streaks.
- Mix the oil or grass fed butter with the sugar. One by one, add the eggs and keep whisking. You may whisk by hand if using oil, but if using butter I suggest you use an electric mixer for best results. Add the vanilla & the orange juice. Continue to mix.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, the baking powder and the sea salt together.
- Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients bowl, mixing well as you go. Don’t over mix, either, or you’ll end up with a very heavy cake. You want it to be fluffy and moist. We mix only to incorporate- that’s it.
- Pour batter onto the bundt & bake anywhere from 45-55 mins. All ovens vary, I always check at the 45 min mark. I use a wooden skewer and insert it to see if it comes out clean.
- Always let the cake cool completely before removing it from the bundt mold.It helps to use a knife that’s not very sharp to gently losen up the edges. You don’t want to scrape cake, either.
For the Lemon Glaze:
Simply whisk lemon juice and sugar over medium heat until all the sugar is dissolved. I like to let it simmer for 5-10 mins so it thickens. Then use a wooden skewer or knife to poke holes into the cake. Poke in quite a few. Then brush the still warm syrup generously all over the cake. This creates a nice “seal” and traps the moisture inside. The cake will also absorb all the wonderful syrup and become super moist and flavourful. Enjoy it!!!
Baker’s Dilemma: baking soda or baking powder? They’re definitely not the same. But I’ve found this cake works well with both. If you were to use lemon juice instead of orange juice and like to add a 1 cup of sour cream or full fat greek yogurt to your bundt cakes, then I recommend you use 1 tsp of baking soda with these measures.
