Cake of the Summer

Perfect for summer days is this soft, light and refreshing citrus cake. A combination of fresh lemon and orange juice, as well as lemon and orange peel is used to make this simple recipe which is adapted from Sedgewood Book of Baking. You also need flour, baking powder, salt, butter, sugar, and eggs to make the citrus cake. A citrus icing made with butter, sugar, fresh orange juice and grated orange peel is used to glaze the citrus cake. The thin icing makes the top crisp and gives it extra sweetness and added citrus flavor. Citrus cake makes an elegant treat for garden parties or summer dinners. It is best served on the day it is made.

Use an electric mixer for for a smooth and even batter. Creaming method is used in this recipe to achieve a light and fluffy cake. This is the process of beating the sugar and the butter until light and fluffy. When beating the ingredients, do so at low speed first to prevent spattering, gradually increasing the speed to blend the ingredients well. For a more accurate measurement sift all the dry ingredients. To avoid clumping and to make sure that every bit of flour is moistened gradually incorporate the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

It is best to use shiny aluminum pans when making citrus cake since they reflect the heat away and produce a tender texture and light brown crust. Dark, glass or nonstick baking pans absorb more heat and cause the cake to brown faster. Before adding the batter grease and flour the pan to make it easier to take the cake out when it is baked and cooled. Before removing the cake from the pan allow the cake to cool for about ten minutes. Place a towel over the wire rack to remove the cake and place the whole with the towel side on the top of the cake. To remove the cake from the pan, turn everything together over.

Ingredients

2 ½ cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup butter
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
4 eggs (separated)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
¾ cup fresh orange juice

For the Glaze:
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups powdered sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange peel

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch cake pan. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.

2. Cream the butter until smooth in the bowl of a mixer then add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time. Add lemon juice, lemon peel, and orange peel. Add a little of the flour mixture alternately with a little or the orange juice, until just blended.

3. Beat the egg whites in a separate mixer bowl, until stiff peaks form. By hand fold the egg whites into the flour mixture.

4. Into the prepared cake pan pour the batter. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven. Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn the pan upside down and turn the cake out onto the wire rack to completely cool.

5. Melt the butter in the microwave to make the glaze, Allow to cool a few minutes. Then, stir in the powdered sugar. a little at a time. Stir in the orange juice, a little at a time also. Then stir in the orange peel.

6. Spoon the glaze over the cake and let it sit for 10 minutes when the cake is already cool. Spoon the remaining glaze over the cake. Let the cake sit until the glaze is dry.