Okay. I admit it. I am a lemon fanatic.
Above chocolate, you say? Yes, even above chocolate. And, y’all, that’s saying a humongous supergiganticawpuhlot. (There’s a story there I’ll share someday.)
I’d go back to Italy in a heartbeat for the lemon gelato. Well, and maybe for a few more reasons, but…pizza and lemon gelato…oh my goodness.
And I particularly love Meyer lemons. So much so that I try to grow them myself. Only thing is, my homegrown supply doesn’t quite fulfill my supply needs. My crop for this year is not yet ripe.
Only one but a mighty one! It takes FOR. EV. ER to ripen!
But there are promises of a bountiful crop next year.
Meyer lemons were introduced to the United States from China in the 20th century by Frank Meyer. They taste similar to both a tangerine and a regular lemon. Typically, regular lemons are larger than Meyer lemons. (Mine are huge compared to regular lemons — guess they it gets all of the nutrition.) Meyer lemons have more or an orange tint than regular lemons and are sweeter. They are typically in season from December to May
You can make this cake with regular lemons if you prefer. I hope you’ll give it a try with Meyer lemons as well.
And don’t skip making the lemon-infused sugar. It adds another layer of lemon flavor that truly helps set this cake apart. In addition to the zest and juice, I use the rinds and sugar to create a lemon syrup. Win! Win!
Lemon Syrup: In a sealable container, pour sugar to cover over the lemon rinds. Seal. Set aside at least overnight, stirring occasionally, allowing a syrup to form. Strain syrup from rinds. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. Use for flavoring teas, lemonade, as a replacement for water in recipes, etc.
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups lemon-infused granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup Meyer Lemon juice
- 8 eggs, separated
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- fine zest of 1 Meyer lemon
- 1 1/2 - 2 Tablespoons lemon emulsion
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Lemon Whipped Cream
- 2 cups heavy cream (more or less as needed)
- 1/3 cup lemon-infused granulated sugar.
Lemon-Infused Sugar (must be prepared at least 1 day ahead)
- Fine zest of 1 lemon per 1 cup of sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- In the mixer bowl sift flour, baking powder, salt and lemon-infused sugar.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together coconut oil, water, lemon juice, egg yolks, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon emulsion. Add to dry ingredients.
- Mix batter until smooth, scraping bowl a couple of times.
- In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with lemon juice until whites are very stiff.
- Gradually fold a third of the egg whites into the batter then, in four portions, gently fold this mixture into remaining egg whites. Do not over mix.
- Pour batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan.
- Bake cake for 55 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. (May increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees for an additional 10 minutes.)
- Remove cake from oven and invert over the neck of a bottle to cool completely.
- Run a knife around the edges, including the middle tube, before removing cake from pan.
- Serve as is or garnished with blueberries or strawberries and lemon whipped cream.
Lemon Whipped Cream
- In a chilled metal or glass mixing bowl with chilled beaters, add heavy cream. Beat on medium speed just until cream begins to thicken.
- Turn mixer to highest speed and slowly begin adding lemon-infused sugar.
- Beat until cream is stiff.
Lemon Sugar
- Zest lemon, placing zest on a paper towel. Allow to dry overnight or until completely dry.
- In a blender or food processor, blend zest with sugar until zest in very fine. Store in an airtight container.
