Luscious Lemon Cake

A dear friend of mine who bakes cakes for extra money asked me if I had a good 
recipe for lemon cake with blueberries in it.
I had to admit this Yankee…lover of those itty, bitty northern blueberries 
picked on lazy summer afternoons around Lake Winnipesaukee… didn’t have one. My 
mother-in-law used to make a “Blueberry Cake with Lemon Sauce” that my family 
loves, but it is a wonderful yellow cake with blueberries. The zesty tart lemon 
is only in the clear warm sauce served on top.

My mission was clear, I had to find a lemon cake recipe and convert it 
using my “wheat-free, Gluten-free, dairy-free” products and see what delectable 
delight I could present to a lady who lives all things CAKE! 

Without looking further than my beloved dog-eared stack of old magazines 
that haunt my bathroom racks I found a “lightened” Lemon Cake with Lemon Cream 
Cheese Icing that sent me off to the grocery store for supplies, primarily 
frozen lemonade concentrate.

All credit goes to Cooking Light Magazine, April 2002 Edition for 
inspiring me with the following recipe: 

 LEMONADE LAYER CAKE
Cake: 

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar 

6 Tbs.Butter, softened 

1 Tbs. Grated Lemon Rind 

3 Tbs.Thawed lemonade concentrate 

2 Teas. Vanilla 

2 Large Eggs 

2 Large Egg Whites 

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour 

1 Teas. Baking Powder 

1/2 Teas. Salt 

1/2 Teas. Baking Soda 

1 ¼ Cup Fat-Free Buttermilk 

Cooking Spray: 

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cake tests for doneness. 

Icing: 

2 Tbs. Butter, softened 

2 Teas. Gated Lemon Rind 

2 Teas. Thawed lemonade concentrate 

½ Teas. Vanilla Extract 

8 Ounces 1/3-less-fat-cream cheese 

3 ½ cups Powdered Sugar 

Note: Chill 1 hour before frosting cake

I’m taking it for granted that anyone reading this knows how to bake and 
frost a two layer cake, so I’m not going into those details as I’d rather discuss that I’d decided to try and make this cake with plain yogurt instead of buttermilk.
I didn’t have room for that big container in my refrigerator…plus the leftovers lead to many more deserts than my family and their waistlines could 
handle along with my Lemon cake experiments. 

Lemon Blueberry Cake

Once purchased, I realized I’d made an error in thinking that Stonyfield’s  Organic “yobaby organic whole milk yogurt” was SOY…So, having blown the dairy 
part, I continued on with the dairy butter and the Neuchâtel creamed cheese 
albeit “1/3 the fat” so the label said. Sorry, lactose intolerant folks…you’ll 
have to wait ‘til next time.
My creation IS Gluten-Free however, as I stayed true to my cause by 
substituting the standard white flour for Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Baking  Flour- “Wheat Free, Gluten-Free and Dairy Free” plus adding ½ teas. Xanthan Gum, per Bob’s flour package instructions.
My “yobaby yogurt” came in great 4oz. containers-3 equaled the buttermilk 
quantity needed, except that the one and only package I could buy held 6 containers. Three Bananas (good for next week’s contestant) and three Vanillas … 
so I added 1 teas. Lemon Extract to boost my flavor. 

To do it again I’d hold back one of the two teaspoons- full of vanilla in 
exchange for my 1 teas. lemon to adjust back to the original recipe.
Adding just one full cup of fresh blueberries as cost is always considered if failure is possible… I’d add twice or more next time as my cake turned out 
TERRIFIC!  

Timing the cooking duration with my Convection oven set at 325 degrees took much longer for my two layers…35-40 minutes as it is a moist, dense cake.
While standing in my favorite Winn Dixie store’s baking isle dreaming 
about the success of this cake, it’s presentation and decorating potential 
seemed to spin out of control as I imagined…warm yellow MACKAYS Lemon Curd of Carnoustie, Scotland DD7 7PR, lovingly drizzled and swirled over my fluffy white creamed cheese frosting, then studded with a garnish ring of dark blue fresh blueberries. Served up on a pretty plate with a steaming fresh cup of tea, the dishes done, the TV on, the feet propped up, and…Making this two layered cake… HAD to 
happen! 

I bought a couple of inexpensive foil, 
8 ½” pans with pretty fluted edges… …JUST HAD TO DO IT!
When I began this challenge, making a dairy-free creamed cheese equivalent frosting had been the only thing on my mind for Leslie’s Carrot Cake but it morphed over to this lemon cake. Allowing for the fact that once home with the dairy yogurt I just continued on...It would be an Organic Gluten- free cake…sorry again. Sadly too, while trying to assemble and finish my delightful product, I’d failed 
to notice that my lemon curd had been enjoyed previously to the “smears only” 
point in the jar, albeit lovingly replaced back on the refrigerators shelf to 
fool me into thinking I didn’t need more…so sans the “dark blue garnish ring and yellow swirl.

One of my unbiased taster friends, Kay, stopped in just as we cut into this 
moist lemony cake, and we gave her the first slice. 

After enjoying it together we had the fun of telling her it was 
Gluten-free AFTER she licked the plate clean! (LITERALLY!) 

Taking a piece to my "Cake Baker" friend Shirley, will bring in my final 
results. Stay tuned to see what she reports…

Here’s to Better Baking!
Carol