First: The Lemon Glaze:

  • 1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/4 cup of lemon juice
  • The zest of one lemon
  • 1 tsp of salted butter
  • 1/8tsp salt

MPORTANT NOTES: Be sure to use a spouted measuring cup so that you can pour the glaze over your cake without having to transfer it from a bowl to pour-friendly vessel later. Also, hold a pinch or two of your lemon zest back for garnish on your cake after glazing.

  1. Juice and zest 1 lemon and set aside.
  2. Combine your sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a Pyrex measuring cup.
  3. Stir your sugar and lemon until a glaze forms, making sure no sugar remains unmixed at the bottom of the cup.
  4. Add your salt and stir to combine.
  5. Add in the butter then microwave on high for 45 seconds. If you prefer not to use a microwave, you can bring a couple inches of water to a simmer in a pot and rest the measuring cup in there, stirring until the butter in completely melted and mixture liquifies.
  6. Once you remove the measuring cup, whisk again until the butter is well combined and the glaze is smooth.
  7. Let the glaze sit for 30 second to a minute, stir one more time then pour over your cake, cookies, scones or anything else you think it would be delicious on!

THE BEST Yellow Cake Recipe:

This is a tried and true recipe that yields a moist and fluffy yellow cake every time. Follow the directions carefully, measuring precisely, for best results.

But I’m going to let you in on a little secret. On Mother’s Day when I made the cake so many of you were dying for a piece of – it was Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow Cake Mix. It was Mother’s Day and I took a shortcut damn it. Boxed cake mix baked in a bundt pan and topped with homemade glaze? Sounds like a winning combo for a mom to me.

Sometimes we have to take shortcuts and that’s ok. Sometimes we choose to take shortcuts, and THAT’s ok. Our plates are full and running over, I hereby give you permission to cut yourself some slack.  So whether you decide to go for the fully-from-scratch version below or grab a box of yellow cake mix, the lemon glaze icing is the star that steals the scene in this recipe anyhow.

I’ll be looking out for the tags on IG when you make these – @yolandekelly!

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (13 ounces, 368 grams)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
  • 2 1/4 cups cake flour, lightly measured (9 ounces, 255 grams)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk (2% or more), room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together your milk and sour cream together and set aside to allow to come to room temperature.
  2. Make sure one of your oven racks in placed on the middle rung and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. If baking in bundt or dark cake pans preheat oven to 325 F.
  3. In a large bowl, using a fine mesh strainer, sift together  your cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed (stand or hand) beat your butter for 1-2 minutes.
  5. Add the sugar and beat for another 4-5 minutes at the same speed. Then mix in the vanilla until well combined, scraping down your bowl when needed as you go.
  6. Add your eggs and egg yolks one at a time, mixing until just combined in between additions. Remember to scrape down the sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
  7. Add 1/3 of your dry ingredients to your batter and mix just until combined. Now, add 1/2 of your milk/sour cream mixture and mix. Scrape down the sides of your bowl and repeat – add another 1/3 of the dry ingredients, and mix just until combined. Add the last 1/2 of the milk/sour cream mixture and beat until just combined. Scrape down the sides of your bowl again. Add the final 1/3 of your dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
  8. Give the entire batter one last stir with the rubber spatula.
  9. Grease and flour your cake pans and line the bottoms with a parchment round. Then grease the parchment. You can use cooking spray instead of butter and flour, if so, spray the sides and bottom of the pan, then place your parchment round and spray the parchment and sides again.
  10. Pour even amounts of batter into each pan, or all of the batter into your bundt pan. Pick your pans up, about 6 inches from the counter and drop, this helps eliminate air bubbles as the cakes bake.
  11. Bake for 38-43 minutes in a bundt pan or 25-28 minutes in rounds until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out with moist crumbs attached. They should be golden in color. Not brown. 
  12. Note: Use your oven window and light to check on the cakes, try not to open the door or the center of the cakes may sink in. Also, try not to overbake your cakes or they’ll be dry.
  13. Let your cakes cool in the pans on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes before removing from the pans. Then you may gently remove from the pans and place directly on the cooling rack to cool completely.

Don’t have cake flour? Here’s how to make your own:

Measure 1 cup of all-purpose flour and place in a bowl. Remove 2 tablespoons of it and replace with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift the flour and cornstarch into another bowl and repeat back and forth between the two bowls twice. This makes 1 cup of cake flour. Adjust amounts depending on how many cups of cake flour your need. Ie; 2 cups would be 2 cups of flour, remove 4 tablespoons of flour, replace with 4 tablespoons of cornstarch and sift twice…