Lemon Cake

Okay, I'm ready for winter to be over! We made it through the holidays, now there's not much to look forward to except cold temps, short days, and too little sun. I will say though - the one good thing about winter (foodwise) is citrus season. I love citrus fruits, and lemon is probably my favorite. It makes delicious desserts, which we need to comfort ourselves.... to make it through these next few months. I found this recipe on www.allrecipes.com, (Yogurt Cake), and I adapted the recipe to suit our tastes.

Here's what you need:

• 1 Cup butter, softened
• 1-3/4 Cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. lemon extract
• 1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest
• 2-1/4 Cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 8 oz. vanilla yogurt (*Note: Make sure you have 8 oz. of yogurt - most single-serving containers of yogurt are only 6 oz. - as is the one pictured above, which I didn't realize until it was time to add it to the batter!)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time. Then stir in the lemon extract and lemon zest. A note about lemon zest: Wash and dry your lemon well, then use a microplane to scrape off just the yellow part of the lemon peel. You don't want any of the bitter white part underneath.

Alternately beat in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated. Spoon the batter into a 10-inch Bundt pan. Then spread evenly.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow your cake to cool for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack and let it cool completely.

Top with powdered sugar or lemon glaze, if desired.

Lemon Glaze:

• 1-1/4 Cups confectioner's sugar
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. milk

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cake. (The glaze is very sweet by itself, but on the cake, it is perfect.)

Serves 12. Enjoy!

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