Food styling and photos by odetteganda, Premium Member © Sarah Phillips
Food styling and photos by odetteganda, Premium Member © Sarah Phillips
Maybe it's the lemon in this recipe, but it always puts me in the mood for a cup of hot tea. If you wish, add a small amount of poppy seeds to the dry ingredients. The poppy seeds add a mellow crunch, but they also contain plenty of fat along with their flavor. Store poppy seeds in the freezer, as they go rancid quickly at room temperature.
CAKE RECIPE HELP / LOW / REDUCED-FAT RECIPE HELP
odetteganda, Premium Member, Says: “I made Sarah's Glazed Lemon Cake today for breakfast and it's the best lemon cake I've ever had. It's soft and flavorful! I love how the applesauce leaves the cake moist and tangy. It's still supposed to be for breakfast, but I'm still munching on it right now.”
INGREDIENTS
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (spoon into measuring cup and level top)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg whites (or 1 large egg in addition to the egg, above)
SARAH SAYS: The recipe needs two large eggs either in the form of 1 egg plus two large egg whites or two large eggs and no egg whites.
2 tablespoons canola oil
Grated zest of 2 lemons or a generous 1/4 teaspoon pure lemon oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons poppy seeds, optional
Lemon glaze (below)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Lightly spray an 8-inch square baking pan with oil.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt until well combined. Set aside.
3. Combine the applesauce, sugar, egg, egg whites, oil, lemon zest and vanilla in a medium bowl.
ODETTE SAYS: I used 2 large eggs instead of 1 large egg and 2 large egg whites.
4. Using a handheld electric mixer set at high speed, beat the wet ingredients until frothy, for about 2 minutes.
ODETTE SAYS: I used a stand mixer at medium speed to beat the wet ingredients, taking about 30 – 45 seconds.
5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the applesauce mixture.
6. Using a spoon, stir just until combined. Do not overmix.
The batter should look like this. It's ok to have a few streaks of flour.
7. Using a gentle touch, spread the batter into the prepared pan.
8. Bake until the top of the cake springs back when pressed gently in the center and the edges are lightly browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Do not overbake.
ODETTE SAYS: My lemon cake baked for 30 minutes only.
Cool in the pan on a wire cake rack for 10 minutes. Unmold onto the rack, turn right side up, and cool completely.
9. When cool, glaze the cake with the lemon glaze, letting it drip down the sides.
Let stand until the glaze sets.
LEMON GLAZE / Recipe alone
INGREDIENTS
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted; measure and then, sift
Grated zest of 1 lemon (orange) or 1/4 teaspoon pure lemon oil or orange. I like to put in lemon / lime peel or orange / lemon peel combinations
2 to 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice (orange juice).
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place the powdered sugar and zest in a medium bowl.
2. Stir in enough of the lemon juice to make a smooth glaze.
The consistency should be a little thicker than heavy cream.
Use immediately.
STORAGE
The cake can be stored at room temperature for a day, well covered. However, cakes baked with fruit purees attract moisture, especially glazed with a sugary glaze, so the cake
will become especially moist on top. After a day, store in the refrigerator. Reglaze right before serving.
For optimal storage, after a day, freeze cake. Thaw at room temperature and reglaze cake right before serving.
Nutritional Analysis: Per serving with glaze – About 159 calories (8 percent from protein; 75 percent from carbohydrates; 16 percent from fat), 3 grams protein, 30 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fat (less than 1 gram saturated fat), 18 milligrams cholesterol, 92 milligrams sodium
Recipe by Sarah Phillips, The Healthy Oven Baking Book, Doubleday, 1999
