september & a lemon layer cake

~ annika

Every experience no matter how bad it seems, holds within it a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it. ― Buddha

easy and moist lemon layer cake

September

fields empty now of flowers
born to Summer and carried away
a billion seeds scattered everywhere
promises saved for another day
do you remember that September?
the one for letting go
Autumn mourning melded into December
and for once it seemed Christmas came too soon
a longing burned for words to say
left unspoken on a Winter’s day
come Spring, through frost, life renewed
and all but one of a billion tiny wishes came true
who could have known then
what another September would bring?
that in my newborn baby’s cry
i’d hear my angel sing

lemon layer cake | conifères & feuillus(You can read more about my loss story here).

On their own, the unpleasant experiences of our lives always feel painful,  insurmountable, even senseless, but within the context of our lives and the world around us, they have a rightful place. Every experience, no matter how painful it seems, holds some sort of blessing…. lemons are much the same. Their sour taste makes them highly unpalatable on their own, but as an ingredient, that same distinctive taste also makes them indispensable.

Lemon also happens to be my favourite flavour for anything sweet. For this cake (made with whole wheat flour), not only does lemon juice provide the flavour, but using a bit of high school chemistry, it also makes the cake super moist and fluffy despite the use of whole wheat flour. As usual with all my recipes, it’s sweetened to my family’s liking which means it’s not too sweet. lemon layer cake | conifères & feuilluslemon layer cake | conifères & feuillus

Lemon Layer Cake

(Yields a two layer 6 inch round cake. Should you want a four layer cake as in the photos above you will need to make this recipe twice.)

  • 200 g white whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 150 g yogurt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 115 g unsalted butter, softened
  • 150 g raw sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tsp fine lemon zest
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • optional: lemon syrup (I use this recipe)
  • icing of your choice, I simply prefer a whipped cream frosting for this cake, as this recipe.
  1. Grease and line two 6 inch round cake pans, set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
  3. In a bowl, sift flour and baking powder, mix in salt and set aside
  4. In a another bowl, measure out yogurt and stir in baking soda. Set aside. The mixture will foam up and will almost double in volume (be sure to choose a sufficiently large bowl).
  5. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until homogeneous and creamy in texture.
  6. Beat in eggs, one at at time. Add lemon zest and continue beating for a few minutes until the mixture is fluffy.
  7. Add in approximately one-fifth of the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
  8. Add a quarter of the yogurt mixture and mix until just combined.
    Continue alternating the flour mixture and yogurt mixture. With each addition, mix until just combined. Do not over-mix.
  9. Stir in the lemon juice, the batter will start to expand and feel airy.
  10. Immediately, divide the batter into two 6 inch well greased pans.
  11. Bake the cakes in the center of oven for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean.
  12. Remove from pans and allow to cool completely on a rack.
  13. Brush tops of each cake with syrup and then proceed to frost.
  14. Serve chilled.

32 thoughts on “september & a lemon layer cake”

  2. A beautiful poem to go with a luscious cake and a cuppa. I will try out this lemon cake. Whole-wheat makes it even better.
    On another note, heart these words: ‘But such is life, not every flower blooms, not every blossom becomes a fruit and not every child is born. There are no reasons, no explanations. It just is.’ You show that simple words have the power to express the deepest sorrows lodged in the heart, Annika. Hugs. xx

    Reply

  4. So beautiful! And I’m so glad to have a recipe for a small cake. I have the pans, but seldom use them because I’m not sure of the proportions using a standard recipe.

    Reply

    1. Thank you dear. Yes, swapping different cake pan sizes is tricky business. This recipe was adjusted for this smaller size, as I really wanted a taller cake. Sometimes, we do bake this one in an 8-inch bundt pan for a simple snacking cake, no layers, no icing.

      Reply

    1. Thank you dear. Yes, that is what we have seen from our travels and prefer it that way as well. I guess the best part about cooking at home is that you get to do it exactly the way you like!

      Reply

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