Perfectly Lemon Cake

My cool and spunky sister-in-law graduated from high school this past spring. She is totally into things like Dr. Who, crazy fashion, and Steampunk, so naturally that meant that the graduation party just had to follow suit.

I don't usually think of graduation parties as having a theme anything other than just celebrating the graduate. This is one thing that I really appreciate about T. She is creative and talented, and not afraid to do things her own way.

One of the first times that I realized how create and unique T could be was at Christmas a few years back. One of my other sisters-in-law bought T a pair of sparkly, silver high heel pumps. T was thrilled, but as she went to put them on, discovered that they were actually a little bit too small. I was devastated for her because I could tell that they were perfect for her, but she wasn't phased at all. Within the hour she was upstairs wearing the shoes that she had redesigned and modified to fit her feet. Problem solved with hardly breaking a sweat. That is just how T works.

This is the cake that she picked for her Steampunk themed graduation and I volunteered to make it. I have to say, this cake was very different than any cake I have ever made in my life. And it turned out so well! It is a lemon cake with a blueberry lavender buttercream frosting. Yes, that beautiful color came straight from natural ingredients, no food coloring involved.

If you are interested in trying the blueberry lavender buttercream, then I recommend checking out The Wholesome Pursuit where I got the recipe. I followed the frosting recipe exactly and even though the color of mine was not exactly the same, the flavor was wonderfully unique and definitely worth the effort! I modified the cake recipe a bit so I have it below. This cake is SO lemon and would be great with a vanilla buttercream or something with strawberry.

Lemon Cake
Makes two 9-inch round cakes

3 cups cake flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups softened butter, or 3 sticks
5 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
zest of 3-4 medium lemons
2 teaspoons vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans and set aside.

2.In a medium bowl, combine and whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and the sugar. Beat on medium high speed for several minutes, until the butter and sugar are fluffy and light in color. Reduce the speed to low and add the egg one at a time.

4.In a liquid measuring cup, combine the milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. Stir to combine and set aside. With the mixer on medium low speed, add the flour mixture and the milk mixture alternately, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.Make sure that the ingredients are all combined before adding the next addition and scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Make sure not to over stir the dough.

5. Divide the batter between the two cake pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until they are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the middle come out clean. Cool the cakes in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, then remove from the cake pans and allow the cakes to cool completely on a cooling rack. Frost and layer with your favorite frosting. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Wholesome Pursuit.