Light & lush lemon cake

Yield: 12 servings

Measure Ingredient
1 tablespoon Melted butter for coating pan
\N \N Powdered sugar
2 \N To 3 lemons
½ cup Plus 3/4 C sugar, divided
¾ cup Whole milk (do not use low
1 cup Regular or light sour cream
2 tablespoons Whipping cream
½ cup Sugar
3 tablespoons To 4 T fresh lemon juice, fat or nonfat)
¼ pounds (1 stick) butter or margarine
¾ cup Cake flour
6 \N Large eggs, separated
1 pinch Salt to taste
\N \N Garnish, opt., Lemon slices
\N \N Mint leaves
\N \N Fresh daisies

CAKE

LEMON CREAM FRAICHE SAUCE

Brush a 12 cup bundt pan with melted butter. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and shake out the excess; set aside. Fill a 3 inch deep baking pan that is large enought to hold the bundt pan with 1 to 2 inches of water. Place in center of oven and preheat to 325F.

To make cake: Using a sharp vegetable peeler, remove peel from one large or two small lemons. Cut off all white pith from inside peel.

Squeeze lemons to make ⅓ cup juice; set aside. Place peel in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add ½ cup sugar and process until peel is minced as fine as the sugar, about 1 minute.

Transfer to an 8-cup (2 quart)

microwave-safe measure. Add milk and butter and microwave on HIGH (100%) for 2 to 3 minutes, or until butter is melted. Return to food processor with metal blade, add flour and process 20 seconds to combine. With machine running, add egg yolks through the feed tube and process until blended, about 20 seconds. Pour in lemon juice and process until incorporated.

In a large mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks begin for form. Mix in ¾ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating continuously until stiff, but not dry, peaks form.

Partially fold a third of the yolk mixture into whites; then fold in the remainder until incorporated. Spoon into prepared pan, spreading top evenly.

To bake: Place pan in hot water in 325F oven. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until top is golden and cracked. Transfer to a rack and cool 15 minutes; cake will fall to the top of the pan. Go around the sides with a small knife and invert oon a platter (make sure it is microvae-safe if you plan to reheat cake) or sheet of heavy duty foil if you plan to freeze it. (The cake may be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen. Defrost at room temperature.) To make sauce: While cake bakes, if desired, make the sauce by stirring sour cream, whipping cream, sugar and lemon juice together in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until serving. (Sauce may be refrigerated up to 2 days. Stir well before using.) Mkaes 1½ cups.

To serve: To serve warm, reheat the cake in the mocrowave covered with plastic wrap for 40 to 60 seconds or until warm. Or serve at room temperature or chilled. If serving sauce, spoon a small amount onto each plate, swirling to coat the bottom. Top with a slice of cake and garnish with lemon slices, mint sprigs and daisies, if desired.

Recipe from The Detroit News, MM formatted and entered by Didi Pahl

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