Today at church we celebrated the birth of Christ’s mother, the Theotokos (God-bearer) with Divine Liturgy. I was among those who brought birthday cakes to enjoy after the service. I have made this particular lemon cake four times now, and I like my version better than the one I adapted slightly, which was the America’s Test Kitchen version. I just now typed it up in a tidy form that I could post here. Everyone who tried it loved it; they said it was “fluffy” or “spongy,” and especially praised the crunchy topping. It is oh-so-lemony.

LEMON BUTTERMILK SHEET CAKE

Cake:

• 2 ½ cups unbleached flour (10 oz.)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• Zest of 3 lemons or 3 tablespoons, grated
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar (11 oz.)
• 12 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk

Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (6 oz.)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoons buttermilk

Instructions:

1. Have oven rack in the middle, and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13″ baking dish and set aside.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a measuring cup, combine buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Set aside.
3. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the white sugar and lemon zest on medium speed until moist and fragrant (about 1 minute). Remove 1/4 cup of the sugar mixture and place it in a small bowl. Cover and set aside.
4. Add the butter to the remaining sugar mixture and beat until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the eggs and yolk, one at a time, until incorporated. Reduce speed to low. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk mixture in 2 additions. Mix until smooth (about 30 seconds)
5. Scrape the batter into the reserved baking pan and smooth out the top. Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (about 30-40 minutes). Be careful not to over bake. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
6. While the cake is cooling, whisk the glaze ingredients together until smooth. Spread the glaze over the cake and sprinkle evenly with the reserved sugar mixture.
7. Allow to cool completely, at least 2 hours.

Happy Feast to All,
and Happy Birthday to the Mother of our LORD!