March 13, 2008

Tangy Lemon Crème Fraîche Cake

Gather ye lemons while ye may....


Sunshine on a plate. That's what I like to call this zesty lemon cake.

Its flavor sparkles! It is zingy and tangy and creamy all at the same time. The "pucker factor" is what I look for in a lemon dessert and this recipe does not disappoint.

I added some sliced strawberries, fresh from the market, and some chantilly for mon mari.




Lemon Crème Fraîche Cake
serves 8

1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (4 ½ ounces) butter
¾ cup superfine sugar (I have made it with regular granulated sugar and that was fine too)
1 ½ tablespoons lemon zest
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½ cups self-raising flour (cake flour)
½ cup crème fraîche (or sour cream)
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Place the butter, sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer (or use a hand mixer) and beat until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs and beat well to incorporate, scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple of times.
Mix in the flour,
crème fraîche and lemon juice on low speed.
Immediately pour mixture in a greased, 8 inch square cake pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Serve warm with more
crème fraîche or chantilly. And strawberries, if you like. Pin It

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

The lemons are so pretty. It's grey, raining and sad here. I yearn for the spring and summer right now.

Donna said...

I just got some big, beautiful Meyer lemons and was wondering what to do with them! This should fit the bill, thanks Loulou!

Jennifer said...

colleen,
Ah, the grey skies of Seattle. The year I moved away, there were 100 days of rain in a row.
100 days! it was crazy!

Donna! Hi darlin'!
Did you buy yourself a Meyer lemon tree for your new house?

Alyssa said...

Yum!
I'm making this tonight!
I LOVE lemon desserts, especially the tangy ones.

Betty Carlson said...

This cake looks fabulous -- and I love the header you have up today.

Ksam said...

Oh, that sounds delicious. This one is definitely getting bookmarked!

Jennifer said...

alyssa
Let me know what you think!

Betty
The cake is great as dessert or even with tea or coffee.
Glad you like the grapes!

Sam,
It's a pretty easy recipe. if you make it, let me know.

spacedlaw said...

That sounds wonderful and a good pick-me-up for the first days of spring.

Jennifer said...

spacedlaw
That is a perfect description of this cake. I think I need to make another one!

spacedlaw said...

I made it today to bring to my inlaws tomorrow and my whole house smells of lemon.
I've added a thin layer of icing on top made of powdered sugar, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. I am most curious to taste it...

Jennifer said...

spacedlaw
Hope you all enjoy the cake. The icing is a great idea!

spacedlaw said...

It was VERY nice.
And the recipe would be equally nice with grapefruit or any other citrus fruits.
I am also tempted to try something using lavender syrup instead of fruit juice (putting less sugar in the batter) and lavender flowers instead of peel.
If I do, I shall report back.

Jennifer said...

So happy you liked it Spacedlaw! Grapefruit sounds wonderful too. I might have to try that.
Please let me know how it goes with lavender.

spacedlaw said...

The lavender version met a great success today.
The recipe is posted there.

Jennifer said...

spacedlaw
Glad it was a success! I will absolutely try the lavender version. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

cowboy said...

I made the cake with Myer lemons and it was wonderful. I did do a icing with 1;1 ratio of juice and sugar.
I do have a question. The cake was more like a cross between a pound or pudding cake? Did I under bake or over mix? It was about 3/4'' thick.

Jennifer said...

cowboy
It should have been much thicker. But it is a heavy, dense cake, not light and fluffy. Maybe you undercooked it? You used a square pan, not a big rectangular one?
You should try another one and let me know how it comes out! :)

Anonymous said...

I used a 9'' round. I will try again, it did taste great, just denser then I thought it should be.
My husband described it like "a lemon bar"

Jennifer said...

anon
Thanks for letting me know!
It is dense, as the photo shows, but not as curd-like as Lemon Bars.
I usually bake it in an 8-inch square pan. Try baking it a bit longer next time. Glad you liked the flavor!

cara said...

It's tradition in Corse to have a family picnic on Easter Monday. Last year I made brownies with a darn good fudgy frosting that were looked upon like they were poo. So this year I decided to make something that looked like the cakes people down here usually bring. I made this cake, which I found really, really ease to make, and it was hit!! I think I shocked some of the fuddy-duddies who seemed to think I was only good for chocolate chip cookies! Thank you, Loulou!

Jennifer said...

Hi Cara!
Haven't caught up with you in a while. Your girls are adorable! And you're going to see U2???? Jealous!!! :)

Glad the Lemon Cake was a hit. Thanks for letting me know!

Crystal said...

thanks for the recipe. i made the cake (without cake flour so i just substituted with APF with some corn starch and baking powder). the cake is a bit heavy but the taste is divine! thanks!

Jennifer said...

Crystal
Glad you liked it! Yes, it is a rather dense cake, that's why I like serving it with fruit.