Supermoist Sour Cream Lemon Cake

I mentioned here before that I have more lemons in the fridge and would like to make something out of it. I was pretty excited as I had borrowed Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito and the sight of their oh so beautiful Lemon Lemon Loaf on page 41 got me hooked. However, the recipe calls for 8 large eggs and I thought "wow! that's a lot of eggs for 2 loaves of cake!" thus I decided not to use this recipe. I usually do not mind using so much eggs but the recent baking I did used quite a lot of eggs and I really should watch the cholesterol levels in this household. I want to give my family pleasure and tickle their tastebuds without compromising their health either. As it is, most of my bakes are discounted on their sugar if at all possible.

Anyway since I could'nt get the thought of fragrant, tangy and moist lemon cakes out of my head, I decided to scour the ever reliable internet for a similar recipe which use lesser eggs and I found this gem. Yippee it uses only 3 eggs and that's very acceptable to me and the end result was a smooth and moist cake which was reminiscent of a cheesecake, only with crumbs. Even my younger sister who is a cake-hater and a cheesecake-lover said she liked it. So this recipe is definitely a keeper!

Sour Cream Lemon Cake (adapted from Southernfood.about.com)

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
grated zest of 1 large lemon
1 cup sour cream

Lemon Glaze:

(Mine didnt turn out white and pretty cos I was scared of using so much sugar. So it became a clear syrup instead)
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325°. Generously butter and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.
Into a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In a mixing bowl with hand-held electric mixer, cream 1 cup butter and granulated sugar; beat at high speed until mixture is very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down side of bowl frequently. Blend in lemon zest.

Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, adding each in 3 additions. Scrape sides of bowl frequently. Pour batter into prepared cake pan; bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden pick inserted near the center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine lemon glaze ingredients in a bowl, blending until smooth. Carefully turn cake out onto a platter; drizzle evenly with glaze.Serves 12 or more, depending on size of servings.

Long Lost friend - Lemon Meringue Pie

I fell very sick in February and have not been doing so well with activities and such. It was the most testing time in my life and I was very down all the time. The doctor said I needed loads of rest as I could be overly exhausted - "juggling too many things at a time", he said. I feel much better now and up and about. I'm just so thankful to DH for his care and for helping to acquire the services of a maid to help with housekeeping and minding the kids as I hover over books and assignments right at the same time as I was ordered to rest in bed. Hmm....what did the doctor said again? hehe.

On a lighter note, exams are over and school's out so I have energy and loads of time right now to bake some. I had really wanted to bake Lemon Meringue Pie for the longest time. The last I made it was back in high school. It didnt go down well with my parents. They are so used to Asian desserts. They couldnt handle the lemon curd well. So that experience dampens the spirit abit. Although I love the dessert, I don't attempt to bake it as I wouldnt be able to finish a whole pie and I wouldnt want the whole thing to go to waste. So any chance I spot it in any bakery, I wouldnt bat an eyelid to swiftly buy a piece to savour. Mmmmm....love it. I did exactly that a few weeks back and shared a huge piece with DH and the girls. To my pleasant surprise, they LOVED it!

I would expect that they would have the same reaction as my parents did but I guess their tastebuds have been westernised abit with my rather adventurous kitchen try-outs. I asked DH if he liked it and "would you like it if I bake this once in awhile? Would you eat it?" He said "of course but maybe not too much meringue. too sweet." and that nailed it. The following Monday, I went out to buy lemons and made my lemon meringue pie!

As you can see, I conceded to the husband's request for a minimal meringue pie. In fact I love the curd with lesser meringue. Usually the sweetness of the meringue would overwhelm the taste of the curd and I would normally sweep a huge dollop aside to get the undisturbed burst of lemony flavor in my mouth. But lesser meringue is a good yin yang to help balance the sweet, tart and sour flavour.

I had leftover pate sucre and decided to make mini-mes of the pie. The kids simply love the tartlets I made them. They're the perfect size for their little hands and mouth!

I still have alot more lemons left in the fridge and I know what I want to use it for next~!