Spring is in the air my friends! Finally, after a long and cold winter, spring has arrived along with the sunshine and the warmer weather. Temperatures here in Greece have risen up to 20’s C/ 70’s F.
I started storing my heavy jackets and sweaters and taking out my lighter pans and shirts. I love that, I simply love that, don’t you?
Now that the weather has improved, my appetite longed for something different than chocolate, something fruity and ‘springy’, if I may use the term. Make no mistake, I am still a chocolate lover, but once in a while I have a craving for something different, just enough to make me more eager to try something ‘chocolatey’ again lol.
I found this cake in Argiro Barbarigou’s book “In the Kitchen with Argiro” and I loved the syrupy texture and the flavors that seemed to come out of the picture, so I decided to make it. Argiro Barbarigou belongs to the new generation of chefs and I like her recipes because they are straight forward, accurate and simple. No fancy things, no extravagant ingredients, just what everyone has in his pantry or fridge. The candied lemons was my idea just to cheer a bit things up.
Now, I have to confess to you that I have another one reason why I made this cake. My husband. Unlike me, he is not that much of a chocolate lover, but the poor thing all he eats in this house is chocolate. Honestly, I believe that if one day he asks for a divorce, one of the reasons he will call upon is the fact that I impose to him my love for chocolate lol. Well, in good and in bad, until death do us part, right?
Anyway, this is a super easy, super tasty, super fluffy cake! Now, if you decide to make it make sure you do not omit the double shifting of flour. It makes the cake very fluffy and soft.
Syrupy Lemon Cake with Candied Lemons
Ingredients
For the Cake
1 cup margarine at room temperature
1 ½ cup brown sugar
4 eggs
Zest from 1 lemon
3 cups all-purpose flour
20 gr./1 tbsp plus 1 tsp of baking powder
1 pinch of salt
200 gr./7 oz. light Greek yogurt
For the Syrup
2 cups sugar
½ cup water
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 lemon rind
For the Candied Lemons
One lemon cut in very thin slices
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
Instructions
For the Candied Lemons
In a pot pour some water about two fingers and bring to boil.
Lower heat to very low and throw the lemons in.
Let them stay for 5 minutes and then remove them.
In another pot place the sugar and water and bring to boil.
Lower heat to very low and place carefully the lemon slices.
Let them simmer for about 2 hours in a very low heat.
They are ready when they have become transparent.
Remove from the pot.
For the Cake
In the mixer place the margarine and sugar and mix for 6 to 7 minutes.
Add the eggs one by one and continue to mix until they are incorporated.
Throw the lemon zest and mix.
In a bowl shift twice the flour, the salt and the baking powder.
Slowly, slowly add the flour mixture to the margarine/sugar batter and mix at low speed.
Lastly, throw the yogurt and incorporate.
Butter and flour either one round pan 30 cm / 12 in. or as in my case two bread pans 25cm/9 in. and 30cm/12 in each.
Pour the batter and bake in a preheated oven at 175° C/350° F for 40 to 45 minutes or until the knife comes out clean and the top of the cake has taken a golden brown color.
Remove from the oven and the pan and let it cool completely.
For the Syrup
Put all the ingredients in a pot and let them boil for 5 minutes.
Remove from fire.
Assembly
Put the cake in a larger pan and make holes either with a toothpick or with the kitchen thermometer as I did.
With a ladle pour the hot syrup on top and let it stay for couple of hours to absorb it.
Brush it with the thick syrup from the candied lemons and decorate it with them.
You can add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of it to make it even more decadent!
- 1 cup margarine at room temperature
- 1 ½ cup brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 20 gr./1 tbsp plus 1 tsp of baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- 200 gr./7 oz. light Greek yogurt
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ cup water
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 lemon rind
- One lemon cut in very thin slices
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- In a pot pour some water about two fingers and bring to boil.
- Lower heat to very low and throw the lemons in.
- Let them stay for 5 minutes and then remove them.
- In another pot place the sugar and water and bring to boil.
- Lower heat to very low and place carefully the lemon slices.
- Let them simmer for about 2 hours in a very low heat.
- They are ready when they have become transparent.
- Remove from the pot.
- In the mixer place the margarine and sugar and mix for 6 to 7 minutes.
- Add the eggs one by one and continue to mix until they are incorporated.
- Throw the lemon zest and mix.
- In a bowl shift twice the flour, the salt and the baking powder.
- Slowly, slowly add the flour mixture to the margarine/sugar batter and mix at low speed.
- Lastly, throw the yogurt and incorporate.
- Butter and flour either one round pan 30 cm / 12 in. or as in my case two bread pans 25cm/9 in. and 30cm/12 in. each.
- Pour the batter and bake in a preheated oven at 175° C / 350° F for 40 to 45 minutes or until the knife comes out clean and the top of the cake has taken a golden brown color.
- Remove from the oven and the pan and let it cool completely.
- Put all the ingredients in a pot and let them boil for 5 minutes.
- Remove from fire.
- Put the cake in a larger pan and make holes either with a toothpick or with the kitchen thermometer as I did.
- With a ladle pour the hot syrup on top and let it stay for couple of hours to absorb it.
- Brush it with the thick syrup from the candied lemons and decorate it with them.
- You can add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of it to make it even more decadent!
- 1 φλ. μαργαρίνη σε θερμοκρασία δωματίου
- 1 ½ φλ. καστανή ζάχαρη
- 4 αυγά
- Ξύσμα από 1 λεμόνι
- 3 φλ. αλεύρι για κάθε χρήση
- 20 γρ. μπέϊκιν πάουντερ
- 1 πρέζα αλάτι
- 200 γρ. γιαούρτι light
- 2 φλ. ζάχαρη
- ½ φλ. νερό
- 3 κ.σ. χυμό λεμονιού
- φλούδα από 1 λεμόνι
- Ένα λεμόνι κομμένο σε πολύ λεπτές φέτες
- ½ φλ. ζάχαρη
- ½ φλ. νερό
- Σε μια κατσαρόλα ρίξτε δύο δάχτυλα νερό και βάλτε το να βράσει.
- Χαμηλώστε τη φωτιά στο πολύ χαμηλό και ρίξτε τις φέτες λεμονιού.
- Αφήστε για 5 λεπτά και στη συνέχεια αφαιρέστε τις.
- Σε μια άλλη κατσαρόλα τοποθετήστε τη ζάχαρη και το νερό και βάλτε τα να βράσουν.
- Χαμηλώστε τη φωτιά στο πολύ χαμηλό και προσεκτικά τοποθετήστε τις φέτες λεμονιού.
- Αφήνετε να σιγοβράσουν για περίπου 2 ώρες σε πολύ χαμηλή φωτιά.
- Είναι έτοιμες όταν έχουν γίνει διαφανείς.
- Βγάλτε τις από την κατσαρόλα.
- Στο μίξερ, τοποθετήστε τη μαργαρίνη και τη ζάχαρη και χτυπήστε για 6 έως 7 λεπτά.
- Προσθέστε τα αυγά ένα-ένα και συνεχίστε να χτυπάτε μέχρι ενσωματωθούν.
- Ρίξτε το ξύσμα λεμονιού και ανακατέψτε.
- Σε ένα μπολ, κοσκινήστε δύο φορές, το αλεύρι, το αλάτι και το μπέικιν πάουντερ.
- Σιγά-σιγά, προσθέστε το μίγμα αλευριού στο στη μαργαρίνη/ζάχαρη και ανακατέψτε σε χαμηλή ταχύτητα.
- Τέλος, ρίξτε το γιαούρτι.
- Βουτυρώστε και αλευρώστε ένα στρογγυλό ταψί με 30 cm διάμετρο ή όπως έκανα εγώ δύο φόρμες των 25 cm και 30 cm.
- Ρίξτε το μίγμα και ψήστε σε προθερμασμένο φούρνο στο 175° C για 40 με 45 λεπτά ή μέχρι να βυθίζετε το μαχαίρι στο κέντρο του γλυκού και να βγαίνει καθαρό.
- Βγάλτε από το φούρνο και αφήστε το να κρυώσει εντελώς.
- Βάλτε όλα τα υλικά σε μια κατσαρόλα και αφήστε τα να βράσουν για 5 λεπτά.
- Βγάλτε από τη φωτιά.
- Βάλτε το κέικ σε ένα μεγαλύτερο από αυτό ταψί και τρυπήστε το με μια οδοντογλυφίδα ή με το θερμόμετρο της κουζίνας όπως έκανα εγώ.
- Με μια κουτάλα χύστε το καυτό σιρόπι στην κορυφή, και αφήστε το να μείνει για μερικές ώρες για να το απορροφήσει.
- Αλείψτε το κέικ με το σιρόπι και τοποθετήστε τα λεμόνια στην κορυφή.
- Αλείψτε με το παχύ σιρόπι από τα ζαχαρωμένα λεμόνια και διακοσμήστε με τις φέτες λεμονιού.
