What makes a great-tasting Lemon Cake?
Ju-Lyn might consider me a Queen of Lemon Cakes, but I am no reigning monarch of cooking, merely slightly obsessed with lemons. The family loves lemon cake, which means I am keen to try out any new lemon-themed recipe I find.
This month, in setting up a tasting contest between my most popular Lemon Cake recipes at home, I discovered how versatile lemons could be not only in improving heath, but also in replacing certain chemical cleaners and insecticides around the home with natural alternatives.
Lemons are comprised of:
- 31 g vitamin C
- 1.1g protein
- 9.3g carbohydrates
- 2.5 g sugar: 2.5g
- 2.8 g fibre: 2.8g
- 0.3 g fat
- 20 calories
- 89% water
Lemons are a plant native to Assam, in Northern India and South Asia. Lemon juice in its natural state is acidic, but once metabolised it actually becomes alkaline.
The acidity of lemons makes them a great adjunct to cleaning around the home and lemon peel can even repel insects when peel is placed outside your door.
- Rub your chopping board with a cut lemon to eliminate garlic or stubborn odours
- Clean windows and chrome fittings with a half a lemon dipped in salt
- Remove red wine spills (mix to a paste with salt and baking soda)
- Add a cut lemon to your dishwasher in place of rinse aid for a streak-free wash.
With the Changing Seasons, lemons are a natural way to bolster our immune systems.
Lemon Cake Tasting Challenge
Renowned for reliable recipes it may be no surprise that a recipe from The Australian Women’s Weekly magazine took first place in the Lemon Cake Challenge. As voted #1 by colleagues and family. This is how it turned out:
Australian Woman’s Weekly Lemon Cake
Are you keen to make the winning cake for yourself?
Instructions and the link to the Women’s Weekly Lemon Cake recipe
Another Lemon Cake Recipe
Linking thanks to Janis’ suggestion to What’s on Your Plate over at Retirement Reflections
I love just about anything with lemons in it! This recipe looks so good. You should link up with the What’s On Your Plate challenge… this would be perfect!
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Good idea. Thanks Janis. I think most of my blogger friends love lemons!
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“Add a cut lemon to your dishwasher in place of rinse aid for a streak-free wash” ? – bloody MARVELLOUS, Amanda ! I shall buy lemons today for this porpoise ! It’s long been a miserable choice for me: add rinse aid or not ? – because plates and things come out of the dishwasher tasting horrid !
THANK-YOU for this extremely pleasant alternative ! 😀
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Awesome, M-R. I would be interested in your review of this hint, as I am yet to try it. The Moth mistakenly removed the previous trial, as I hadn’t briefed him! So do let me know if you think it is worthwhile.
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I’ll try and remember to try adding a cut lemon to the dishwasher and see what I think. We’re away now for 6weeks, so will have to try when I get home.
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Yes I’m also keen to try this hint out for veracity.
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The amount of lemons on the tree makes for inventiveness. I make preserved lemons which are great in Moroccan meals, lemon chicken and heaps of other recipes I use lemons in when the tree has not as many lemons.
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Brian, I love that too utilize your lemons on versatile ways. Some trees are so prodigious in fruiting. I would dearly love a good Lemon chicken recipe. Would you share it with me?
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Oh dear Amanda. I just make it and don’t have anything written down. Here goes
Chicken breast, lemon zest, tablespoon? soy sauce, crushed garlic how much you want then Marinate chicken
Combine Lemon juice, a bit light soy and cornflour
Cook chicken in oil in wok until brown
Add lemon soy mix with chicken stock and Spring Onions. I also add slices of lemon
Cook until sauce thickens
Serve with rice and grate a bit of lemon zest on top
All from memory so quantities are what works for you
Let me know how it goes
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I can follow that! Will try tomorrow night I think!
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That’s good. I should really write things down
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Those throw together recipes are often the best as they are never-fails!
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🤞😀
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Mmmm, thanks for sharing this. I’ll give it a go too. We have a gazillion lemons on our tree.
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Good luck. I hope it is understandable 🙂
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It sounds pretty easy. I’ll let you know.
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Thanks 🙂
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Great!
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No probs.
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It is that time of year for sure! Enjoy!
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I made it for dinner last night – easy and delicious. It got the thumbs up from Mr ET!
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Excellent! So glad to hear.
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I love lemon but the rest of my family are not fans. So when I make a zingy lemon loaf or a tangy (worse for them) lemon tart … I have to eat it all 🙂
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I know you are a lemon fan, Sandy. But there are ways of utilising this recipe so you can still enjoy the taste, even without the ‘nod,’ of your family. I have experience with this! (I am virtually the only crustacean eater in this family so was forced to find ways around the family pecadillos). For instance, you could bake this recipe in small friand style loaf pans or cupcake/muffin pans and freeze for access whenever you feel like a tangy lemon hit!
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I’m eating a whole grapefruit drizzle cake at the moment (over a week) as my husband isn’t keen on fruit and doesn’t like the idea of it.. it’s so good I’m not complaining 🙂
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Lucky you! Sounds yummy!
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There is that plus side 😉
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I love lemons and I can’t wait to try one of these recipes.
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Awesome. Nice to meet another lemon lover! I hope you try one. Although I strongly recommend the Women’s weekly one the most!
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Let’s hear it for lemon! One of my favorite flavors. Tasty in so many things.
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I couldn’t agree more! So glad you like it too!
It really is so flexible between sweet and savoury dishes.
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A much-needed addition in many pasta dishes that feature olive oil and garlic.
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Lemon, olive oil and garlic certainly gets my tastebuds going.
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I absolutely LOVE lemons and most dishes and baked goods made with lemons. Thank you for sharing this recipe (and the lemon tips and facts). That loaf looks delicious!
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I am glad you liked the tips, Donna. Do you have a favourite lemon recipe?
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Lemon Butter Salmon iis at the top of my list! https://www.averiecooks.com/sheet-pan-garlic-lemon-butter-salmon/
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Ooh. That sounds so good. I will read that post.
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I love lemons. The scent, the color, the usefulness. Thanks for the link to the recipe. Lemon cake? Yes, please.
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Lemon cake is so more-ish! The tangier, the better, as far as my taste buds go, Ally. I do agree the colour and scent also makes them even more attractive. A fantastic splash of happy colour on the kitchen bench.
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Lemons, lemons, lemons! Love them in sweet or savory, and lemon cakes are one of my family’s favorites. This looks divine!🍋
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I must search your blog for more lemon recipes!
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Happy foraging!
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I love lemon cakes. That looks like some delicious lemon cake and the recipe looks simple enough – so I think I could make it. Provided you have a grater, lemon zest is easy to make. You can use lemon zest not only for lemon cake but you can also add it to pretty much any dish.
Agreed, lemons are so versatile in the kitchen and in our day-to-day lives. When the weather gets colder and winter is here, I love making a hot cup of water with lemon and ginger, and maybe a splash of honey if I’m in the mood for something sweet. It’s such a warming drink and yes, a drink that gives you Vitamin C
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I wish I could still drink lemon and ginger tea, Mabel and I love that you make your own. And why not? It is simple enough that we don’t need to buy ready made lemon and ginger teabags. Unfortunately the ginger sets off tinnitus in my ear, so I can only have it occasionally now. Next time I will try making my own as my lemon tree has an abundance of lemons.
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Definitely lemon and ginger tea is easy enough to make at home. Just have to be careful about the hot water 😄 I am sorry to hear ginger gives you tinnitus. Definitely have it in moderation. It sounds like you cared well for your lemon tree. Enjoy your lemons 🍋☕
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Thank you, Mabel.
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I love lemons too. And limes.
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Both are divine flavours. I read that the lemon evolved from the lime! I imagined it was the other way around!
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I love anything lemony, my daughter, not so much. Hmmm. Great way for me to have a cake all to myself. 🙂 That’s a lot of information I didn’t have about lemons though I had a good bit of it. Have not tried it in the dishwasher but will soon. I make my own salad dressing with lemon, olive oil, fresh oregano and thyme from the garden. I use lemon to sanitize the counters and sink and to get garlic odors off my hands. Great use for the rinds after you have squeezed out most of the lemon into a cake. I love a really good Limoncello in lemonade during the summer.
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Limoncello in lemonade. Double lemon hit? Now you are talking my language, Marlene! Lol.
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I had an Italian neighbor that made his limoncello with 100% grain alcohol. It was so GOOOD.
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Oooohhooooohooo. Sounds wonderful but a little dangerous! Lol.
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Healthy obsessions, Amanda, lead to such deliciousness! And in my books, you are still Queen!
Serendipitously, I have an access of lemons in my fridge – I was going to make lemon curd, but there’s plenty for the Winning Cake! (I am salivating as I write – better trained than Pavlov’s doggies).
I didn’t realise lemons were so useful for other things … I am going to try rubbing it on my cutting boards – especially the ones I use for onions & garlic!
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I am sure there are more uses for lemons than the ones I listed, Ju-Lyn. It is a wonderful gift from nature.
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Indeed they are. I finally gave in after all this conversation about lemons – made that lemon drizzle cake for tea today!
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So pleased you did. How was it?
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We thoroughly enjoyed it – I told them they had you to thank!
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😁
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I am sure there are more uses for lemons than the ones I listed, Ju-Lyn. It is a wonderful gift from nature. I will be interested to see what you think. You do know that I always stab the tops of my cooked lemon cake all over, with a skewer, and carefully drizzle drops of lemon juice over. Not too much though, as it can make the cake soggy. This cake keeps surprisingly well too.
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We just pour the lot on – we don’t mind a damp cake in our household! Used a different recipe today as I had creme fraiche to use up. I plan to try your favourite soon … I barely made a dent in my lemon stash (Fruit & Veg FairyGodfather strikes again!). I gave away most of today’s cake so we have plenty of room to bake another soon.
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Fantastic, Ju-Lyn. Keep them coming.
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Having two bucketfuls and more on the tree, a lemon recipe is always welcome and that cake looks delicious. My usual go-to for using up lemons is lemon curd. Someone introduced me to the concept of adding lemon curd to greek yoghurt and now I go through jars and jars of both. 😀
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Now lemon curd and yoghurt sounds like a good breakfast! Healthy too. The Greek yoghurt is a little strong for my milk protein intolerance but I might add some to my kefir! What variety of lemons do you grow, Heather?
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Whatever variety my neighbours are growing over my back fence. 😜
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Lol! Cheeky!!!
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I only pick the ones hanging on my side of the fence, honest! Mind you, the fence is falling down towards their side so I get a lot more lemons these days. 😄
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I won’t say a word about it! What falls on your side of the fence, stays on your side of the fence!
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Probably the most versatile yet not favourite to many people. I’ve not tried lemon in cake yet.
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I highly recumbent lemon in cake. That sweet-sour flavour is incredible!
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I’ll definitely try it out. I have eaten a lot of banana and pumpkin cakes, my seller will be surprised when I order lemon cake.😂
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Indeed
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I’m not the best baker, but wished we all lived in the same community, as I’d gladly eat 😁
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Haha. Yes fresh cake is lovely to share?
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Agreed! Especially with a fresh cup of coffee 😁
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A beautiful accompaniment
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Some fascinating facts about lemons! The recipe looks scrumptious! 👌
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If you decide to make it, I’d love to hear how it turned out!
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I love lemons too! Wonderful to find your blog 😊
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Welcome, Maggie. Nice to have you visit. Where are you based? I am in Australia.
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Lemon cakes, lemon cookies, and lemonade, they are all divine.
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Another lemon fan! Hi fellow lemon sister!
They are a great flavour and so good for you
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Would you consider letting us repost this? All links & credit to you of course. Have a look at our site and see if you like it. We do it for fun not pennies so can only offer gratitude and good vibes. Regardless of your decision, your cake looks yummy.
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Thanks ever so much for asking. Yes you may!
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thank you
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Superb concept
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