Dine and Dish

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Holding On To Summer {Recipe: Sinful Lemon Cake}

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Summer is slipping away.

The funny thing is, as much as I love summer, as soon as the kids start back to school I am more than ready for autumn to make its presence known. The crispness in the air, the colorful hues adorning the trees, football and pumpkin…all are my cue that summer is long gone and fall is here.

I wanted so badly to make pumpkin bread today, but I couldn’t do that to summer. Summer needs it’s last hurrah before autumn pushes it out of the way and takes the spotlight. So, with the smell of lemon filling my kitchen and sweet sunshine tones of summer, I made a lemon cake.

This, my friends, is not just any lemon cake. This is a lemon cake with everything rich and indulgent I could imagine poured in. Sour cream, pudding, butter and buttermilk… all wrapped up in one brightly baked package. It smells like summer, it tastes like summer… in my mind, it is an ideal way to bid adieu to a wonderful few months and to let fall know that yes… now we’re ready.

(Just like those awesome chevron spoons from my banana pudding ice cream post, these yellow bags are also from I’m With Cupcake. Check out their adorable stuff, today!)

When you are truly ready to say goodbye to summer and want a more fall like sweet treat, give this Banana Bread recipe from Brown Eyed Baker a try!

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Sinful Lemon Cake

A sinful lemon cake with hints of summertime.

Ingredients

  • 3 Cups Cake Flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 4- ounce package instant dry Jello pudding mix vanilla or lemon
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
  • 1 cup buttermilk or buttermilk substitute
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two standard size loaf pans with cooking spray. Set aside.
  • In a medium sized bowl, mix together cake flour, baking powder, Kosher salt, granulated sugar and pudding mix.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, add eggs and beat until a soft yellow. Add butter and shortening and mix until fluffy. Slowly add additional wet ingredients (buttermilk, sour cream, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice and lemon extract) and mix until well blended.
  • Add the dry ingredients, 1 cup at a time, to the stand mixer bowl and beat at medium speed until all the dry and wet ingredients are incorporated and batter is smooth.
  • Pour the batter into two prepared loaf pans. Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  • Allow to cool then remove from pan.

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. Crystal @ Crystal's Cozy Kitchen says

    Sinful is right! Although I’d love to be eating a slice right now…
    I have to admit that I’m not really a summer person (too hot for me – especially this summer when I was pregnant for most of it!). So I always love autumn, but I also don’t have kiddos in school (for 2 more years…)

  5. Joanne says

    Ive really been wanting to start cooking and baking with pumpkin also but summer keeps reeling me in! This cake looks sinful in the most delicious possible way! Way to keep summer alive. 🙂

  7. Deborah says

    Yay for celebrating the last of summer! I, too, am holding onto as much of summer as I can, and this cake looks like the perfect way to do that!

  8. Meeta says

    Oh no I am not letting go of summer yet! It’s so very much my season and the thought of waiting for it till next year is just pain. So glad you decided to leave the pumpkin out – this cake is pure sunshine and I adore citrus cakes. Like the fact that you used pudding in this!

  15. carrian says

    I cannot let go of summer. I was just saying yesterday, I feel like I’m trying to soak up every last bit before nasty winter hits. I hate that winter here can last until June. BLEH! anyway, pinned this to make the first week it cools down so I can think of summer, and your darling friendship of course

  16. Kelley {mountain mama cooks} says

    Gorgeous! I’m with you- trying to hold on to summer as long as possible. This is my favorite time of year in Park City. The weather is gorgeous and the promise of cooler nights is just around the corner!! Those bags are adorable, can’t wait to check the site out.

  17. Jimi says

    I need to make this asap. I love anything lemon! And those bags are so adorable! I was just about to ask in the comments where you got them…very smart of you to include that in the post.
    Side note – I ordered some Notes to Self socks to give as thank you gifts to a couple friends who are active. Now I want some for myself!!

  18. Natalie @ Cooking for My Kids says

    This cake looks delicious – perfect for a end of the summer celebration!

    I fight fall for all that it is worth until the littles start to school, and then I happily embrace it. It is truly one of my favorite seasons. I love that first cool breeze in the air, the excitement of football, and the wonderful holiday fun that it brings.

  24. Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says

    Sinful? I’d call that cake luscious! Yum. Lemon is one of my favorite flavors and is most definitely a summery delight. I love summer, too, and am always sad to see it go. It always feels like saying goodbye to an old friend.

  25. Melissa says

    Oh man! You love me, you really love me. How did you know I ADORE lemon?! I just made Picky Palate’s Starbucks Iced Lemon pound cakes, well a few days ago, but YUMMMMM! Can’t wait to make this! Thanks!

  26. Betsy says

    No fall! If I could draw a circle with fall in the middle and a line through it I would. I want summer to last forever!

    • Kristen says

      🙂 I pretty much just want the 100 degree weather to go away 😉 70-80’s with summer hours and schedule would be ideal!

  28. Megan says

    I was just about to make a pumpkin and dried cranberry bread. My in-laws arrive tomorrow and I always like to have a tasty quick bread for them to have with coffee. Now I’m torn. This might be the one to make. Maybe I’m being too quick to dismiss Summer! Thanks for posting!!

    • Kristen says

      Hi Lin – I really think it could. In fact I originally imagined doing it in a bundt pan but changed my mind because I decided I wanted loaves. Let me know if you try it that way!

      • lin says

        I will post after I try it! I think it’s going to be tomorrow….I won’t be able to wait! Thanks

  32. Delishhh says

    So cute – love the little bags – I wish summer was not ending, especially here in Seattle, WA love summer here. Just fyi – having 20% off in my store right now.

  34. Jamie says

    I love lemon cake, love lemon desserts and snacks and I’d love to give this a go. Sadly, I don’t use boxed pudding mix. Don’t sell it here. I wonder if this could be made without it?

    • Kristen says

      Totally – in fact the sour cream and pudding were just things I decided to throw in to make it more indulgent 🙂 You can easily do it without.

  39. lin says

    Well, making this in a bundt pan was a success! This is so yummy! Light and delicious. Thanks for the recipe!

  41. casque beats by dre studio says

    Jag tror att ditt perspektiv är djup, det bara genomtänkt och verkligen fantastiskt att se någon som vet hur man sätter dessa tankar ner så bra. Bra jobb på detta
    din blogg är väldigt good.It var mycket väl skrivit och lätt att förstå. Till skillnad från andra bloggar jag har läst som verkligen inte bra. Jag hittade också dina inlägg mycket intressant

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