Quick Lemon Cake

I’m on a French baking kick right now so this Quick Lemon Cake was perfect for Mother’s Day weekend.

I found the recipe in a memoir I read called In a French Kitchen, and it epitomizes French cooking – simple ingredients and lovely flavors.

The French name for Quick Lemon Cake is Gateau au Citron Rapide. It’s light and refreshing and fantastic on its own, but would also be perfect with a few fresh strawberries, raspberries or blueberries, too.

Ingredients for Quick Lemon Cake

You have all the ingredients for this cake – except probably for the vanilla bean sugar. No worries, though – Amazon to the rescue (here). Or you can make your own, if you have a vanilla bean and a day or two. (You can also substitute regular granulated sugar, I’m sure, but if you can swing some vanilla sugar, I say go for it!)

• Unsalted butter
• All-purpose flour
• Fine sea salt
• Baking powder
• Large eggs
• Vanilla sugar
• Milk (whole, 2%, 1% or skim)
• Lemon zest
• Confectioners (powdered) sugar

Dessert or Breakfast – You Decide

Quick Lemon Cake is fantastic with a cup of coffee in the morning — or as a light, delicious dessert after an evening meal.

Happy Mother’s Day

I had a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend, although it was difficult not to see my mom in person.

We’ve got plans for a big Mother’s Day party next year, though! And my 6-year-old niece, Miss Morgan, invited all of “us girls” in the family to a Zoom call today, which was the next best thing.

Joe’s tradition for Mother’s Day is to give me some sort of frog garden decor – he has always loved frogs so it makes me happy to see all the frogs scattered in my gardens.

It’s a bit chilly here in Minnesota so I was out covering up my veggie garden beds tonight. Hopefully soon I will be able to plan my new shrub roses – ‘Campfire’ Easy Elegance. I still can’t get over how pretty the blooms are!

Back to the Quick Lemon Cake …

If you try it, let me know what you think! I am smitten with the slightly carmelized, crunchy top — it’s the perfect complement to the moist, dense cake.

And if you are so inclined, please save this graphic to Pinterest.

Until next time … have a great start to your week!

xoxo – Lara

Quick Lemon Cake

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine French

Servings 8 servings

Equipment

• 9-inch cake plan
• Sifter
• Zester

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• Butter for pan
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 large eggs
• 1-1/4 cup vanilla sugar
• 1/3 cup milk whole, 2%, 1% or skim
• Zest 1 lemon
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
• Confectioners' sugar for garnish

Instructions

 

• Preheat ove to 400 degrees F.
• Butter a 9-inch cake pan, then line it with parchment paper.
• Sift together flour, salt and baking powder onto a piece of parchment or waxed paper.
• Using a stand mixer, beat the eggs and vanilla sugar until thick and pale yellow.
• Add dry ingredients to the eggs and sugar, alternately with the milk – beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
• Fold in the lemon zest.
• Fold in the melted butter.
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake in the center of the oven until the cake is golden and slightly puffed, about 30 minutes.
• Check after 25 minutes – if cake tester stuck in the center of the cake comes out clean, it is done.
• Let cool to room temperature on a wire rack.
• Remove cake from the pan, put on a plate or cake stand, and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Notes

To remove the cake from the cake pan, run a knife around the edge of the cake. Place the wire rack on the pan and flip it. Shake firmly and the cake will drop from the pan. Remove the parchment paper and let the cake cool, right side up.

Keyword lemon cake

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!