OK, BIK friends, I’m sure we can all agree that pretty much anything (questionable company, food, work, you-know-what) is better after a few glasses of wine. But you know what is not better? Lemon cake. I found out the hard way, trying to squeeze one more recipe into a day jam-packed with work, socializing, exercise (we’ve been eating a LOT, after all – these recipes require numerous trials, people!) and other stuff. Other tipsy people dance on tables. I bake lemon cake.

Why lemon cake? Well, it was our Nana’s birthday last week and it’s her recipe.* And she is awesome, as is her lemon cake. If Nana had a computer and knew what this whole interwebs thing was all about, we like to think she would be a BIK kind of gal (although we would surely hear a word or two about our potty mouths). She is smart, sassy and loves to bake. She always has something sweet to plop in front of us when we visit, and it’s often her beautiful and easy English lemon cake. It’s interesting enough to make someone feel special, yet basic enough that you can toss it together in no time. It’s a rich, sweet cake, sort of like a pound cake, drizzled with a tart lemon glaze. Addictive.

So, about my tipsy version. I’m still not sure what I did wrong. Several things, probably. But it yielded completely flat, unphotogenic, crispy (not burnt, just literally crispy … ?), dense, etc. … lemon cake. Anyway, because I love you THAT much, I made another one. Make this for breakfast, to bring to a potluck, to serve for dessert, to eat in your bed while watching trashy TV, anything! If you’re feeling lazy, I can respect that – I won’t make you feel guilty about not using fresh lemon juice. I have a green and yellow bottle in my fridge, too. But I do hope you use the lemon zest in the topping. That’s where the real tartness comes from, and it’s sooooooo nice to balance out the cake’s richness.

*Actually we don’t know where the recipe comes from besides Nana’s recipe box. If this looks like something you have seen, please let us know so we can credit the source.

Nana’s English Lemon Cake

Cake:

1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 ¼ cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ cup milk

Glaze:

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup lemon juice

3 teaspoons lemon zest

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or coat a 9-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl, stir together flour, salt and baking powder. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar until pale and smooth. You can use an electric mixer, although I have also done this by hand successfully. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in about one-third of dry ingredients, then beat in half the milk (don’t get all crazy with measuring, just alternate dry and wet ingredients). Repeat until all milk and dry ingredients have been incorporated. Pour into pan and place in oven. Bake about 70 minutes, or until tester inserted into center comes out clean.

While cake is baking, stir together sugar, lemon juice and zest over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until syrup simmers and sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

When cake is finished, leave it in the pan and pour syrup over hot cake slowly. Let cake cool in pan (for maximum glaze absorption). This cake is best at room temperature.