Lemon Cake
This recipe is credited to Helen Butler. I think she was a friend of my mother's at some point.
When using an older recipe, you should be aware that the amount of cake mix in boxes has decreased. Sometimes it is necessary to add additional ingredients to make up for the difference. I keep a jar of supplement in my pantry that I found online. Today, though, I just used what was in the box and didn't worry about the difference. The cake seemed to come out fine. So, for future reference, a 15.25 oz. box of cake mix is fine.
I knew I'd have a busy day and planned left overs for dinner. On the rare occasions when I do that, I like to serve a dessert - to make up for a haphazard dinner. But, because I knew I'd be busy and not sure when I'd find the time to bake the cake, I measured the water into a 2 c. glass Pyrex cup then added the oil on top. I set the mixing bowl on the counter, set the cup inside it, and put the box flat across the cup to act as a cover.
When I was ready to bake I cracked the eggs into the oil/water and then put the beaters into the measuring cup for a few spins to make sure the eggs would be well incorporated.
The mixture started out very juicy.
After 4 minutes it was rather thick.
My sister taught me to bang the cake on the counter a few times before putting it in the oven so that all the bubbles rise to the top and pop.
"bake until done" - oh, how I love specific instructions...I picked 30 minutes because it was mid-range of the instructions on the back of the box for a 9x13 pan. I used my cake tester and it was still a bit gooey so I baked for 3 additional minutes. After a total of 33 minutes the cake pick came out clean.
During the last 15 minutes of baking I made the glaze. I didn't have a box of powdered sugar but I had a 7 lb. bag from Sam's so I used my kitchen scale to weigh out 1 lb.
I put the butter and water in the same glass Pyrex I had used for the oil/water and put it in the microwave on the "beverage" setting.
When it was melted I added the 1/2 c. of lemon juice right on top. I finished a small container I had in the fridge for a few months...
...and then completed the 1/2 c. with a new bottle. I honestly don't know, when a recipe specifies "real" lemon juice if they mean fresh squeezed but this is what you get in my kitchen. It is very rare for me to fresh squeeze a lemon.
Sometimes when I have made similar icing the amount of powdered sugar actually varies a bit so I started with about half and added the liquid.
The mixture was very liquid so I added the rest of the powdered sugar.
I already had a knife dirty from cutting the butter so I just used that to poke the holes in the cake.
I'm not sure a fork would've reached all the way to the bottom anyway.
There was a dip in the top of my cake so after pouring the glaze over I evened it out a bit with a spatula.
Yum! The sensitive kid asked if next time I could make this vanilla so it would be like a glazed donut. Replacing 1/2 c. lemon juice would be a challenge since there is no "vanilla juice" but maybe some vanilla flavored milk? It reminded me of the cake mix I tried a few years ago that was produced by Krispy Kreme. We ate it warm and it seemed a little delicate but the flavor was fantastic. I wonder if a chocolate would work similar to the idea for vanilla.
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