Lemon Bars? Not Quite! Lemon Cake By The Careless Cook

   

 

You see, I have a recipe for Lemon bars and really thought about sticking with it, but two reasons popped up:

 

First off, I am The Careless Cook, and careless means I couldn’t take a lot of time. But, with a little sleight of hand ‘Puff’ the problem dissolved.  

 

On we go! I was baking for lots of folks, and my recipe was for 15 Lemon Bars. Not nearly enough.

 

My careful thoughts pushed me away from Lemon Bars, using the same ingredients! Presto, a dandy Lemon Cake.  Same ingredients baked in a cake pan would feed forty in a lot less time.

 

Bingo!

 

Now you’re asking:  Would keeping the same ingredients change the taste?  I found that most of my Lemon Cake was gone faster than fat girls at a birthday party. I really say that. I meant faster than a person of substance.

 

A new concern popped up. Fewer hungry mouths than I’d expected. How ever the few pieces that were left, disappeared with the snaping of purses.

 

But maybe you don’t need to feed forty, or fill up purses. Easily done. Just cut the recipe in half, or bake it all and put the rest in the fridge and save it for when you invite guests for morning coffee, or cocktail hour. See what a problem solver the Careless Cook is!

 

EQUIPMENT

 

9 X 13 Pan

 

Use your Food Processor if it’s big enough.

 

I used a big bowl and a handheld mixer.

 

INGREDIENTS 

 

3 Cups flour (I use Italian flour from Amazon)

2/3 Cups powdered sugar

1/2 Teaspoon salt

12 Tablespoons butter

3 Tablespoons (or more) fresh lemon zest

3 Cups sugar

8 Eggs

 

A dash of vanilla 

1 Cup of fresh lemon juice (taste after mixing and add more if your tastebuds tell you)

 

FOR ICEING, optional:

 

1 Tablespoon butter, melted

A short quirt or two of fresh lemon juice

Enough powdered sugar to make it thicken when you brush it on the cake

 

INSTRUCTIONS – this will not take much time to blend everything together. 

 

HEAT oven to 350F

 

Line the baking pan with parchment paper (makes it easy to get the cake out of the pan)

 

Blend all the dry ingredients in a big bowl, then add the wet ingredients a little at a time, blending well.

 

Pour the thin cake dough into the parchment lined cake pan. To make the cake even, just slap the pan on the counter.

 

Bake for 35 min. Test by sticking a clean knife in the cake.  Bake another five minutes or more if you need to, but be careful. Mine only took about 35 to 40 min.

 

If you are going to make the icing, wait until the cake has cooled.

 

After I put on the icing, I put the whole cake in the fridge for a few minutes to let the icing solidify, then I took it out. 

 

Yes, I did test the results. Can’t take a chance on ruining my good name.  Then I tested the results again. You can’t be too careful.

 

Then I tested one more time with coffee…….but what the heck, I had a cocktail handy…..