TASTY LEMON SPONGE CAKE

Photo courtesy of; "Cake" by Danilo Rizzuti. Freedigitalphotos.net

Make your kitchen table a place of joyous banter. Welcome others with open arms, and delicious food. They have come to visit because they love you so love them right back!



Are you looking for the perfect lemon cake recipe? Look no farther, this recipe is so simple to make and is sure to impress your family and guests. It is a staple cake in my home. My husband loves a piece with his coffee in the morning. It is also very popular when we have guests for tea in the afternoon. I originally learned about this cake in Morocco.  Over there it is called `Meskouta`. I have tweaked the Moroccan way of making it just a bit. The essence of the cake has remained the same though. It is very moist, delicious and matches perfectly with a nice cup of tea or coffee. So here is the recipe....And feel free to make small changes so that it becomes your own perfect and unique recipe.

INGREDIENTS

-1 1/2 CUPS OF FLOUR
-4 EGGS
-1 CUP OF SUGAR
-4 1/2 TSP OF BAKING POWDER
-1 PACKET OF DRY INSTANT RISING YEAST (I use the "Ideal" brand found in a red box)
-3/4 CUP OF VEG OIL
-3/4 CUP OF PLAIN OR VANILLA YOGURT
-2 LEMONS GRATED
 -1 TSP OF VANILLA (optional)

Set your oven at 325-350
Grease a bundt pan or a 8x11 glass pan (I prefer the glass pan, as it requires less baking time.)

Start by whisking (or mixing with a hand mixer) the eggs, slowly add the sugar (a little at a time). Add the oil. Mix very well. Add the yogurt. add the vanilla. Mix well. On the side mix the flour and baking powder Add this to the wet ingredients and mix well. Add the grated lemon, mix. Mix everything very well. Lastly add your yeast packet and mix slightly so that it is incorporated into the mix. Add mix to your greased & floured pan. Depending on your oven the cake should take about 20 to 30 minutes to bake. When ready it should be a light golden brown color. Try not to open your oven too often as this will prevent the cake from rising.

I have experimented quite a bit with this recipe. Be sure to mix your eggs and sugar really well. This technique makes the finished cake really light and fluffy. Add less sugar if the cake is too sweet. Or just stick to the plain yogurt instead of the vanilla. Looking for a sweeter cake? Add a frosting, anything from a mixture of sugar and lemon juice to a light sprinkle of powdered sugar.

This is really just a general recipe, you can tweak it to your liking and the possibilities are endless.

So enjoy and share this great recipe with others.

The calories of a piece of this cake may vary between 160 and 284. This all depends on if you add frosting, more or less sugar, vanilla or plain yogurt, etc.