Way, WAY back in the day, I used to bake competitively. There were three of us gals…Ryb, Judy, and me…that would enter three pies into Saturday’s competition, and three cakes on Sunday’s at the Carbondale Mountain Fair. Almost without fail, the Three Amigas would take home all of the ribbons! SO unfair…but SO fun! Invariably, the field would be heavily laden with “Death By Chocolate” and any manor of liqueur-laced lovelies so I would try to come up with something different that would catch the judges by surprise. This yummy taste of sunshine won me one of those coveted ribbons and has become the all-time family favorite for birthdays.
There’s been a running joke since my son in-law joined the family twenty years ago that if anything happened to their marriage, I was keeping him and my daughter would have to go! Of course, everyone knew it was tongue in cheek, but I have to tell you, my daughter won the lottery in both the husband AND the in-law department. Their birthdays are the 11th and the 13th, and their anniversary is the 15th. And, since my wonderful son-in-law is partial to chocolate…I made chocolate cakes every year. But this year is different. This year is special. We’ve reached a new depth in our mother/daughter friendship. She works SO hard as a special ed teacher, as a mom to two very busy girls on swim team, as a student going to grad school, and as a loving wife. So, this year she gets the much coveted lemon cake for her birthday.
In the past, I would have worked on this cake for two weeks. I would have carefully cut lemon peel into thin strips, boiling it in a simple syrup and refrigerate. I would have made the cake from scratch. I would have piped the whipped cream frosting on with a flourish. Then I would have carefully tied the lemon peel into little knots, rolled them in sugar crystals and place them around the top. But hey, I said she’s special but she’s not the queen! So, I doctored up a moist lemon cake mix (gasp!) by using sour cream instead of oil. I added the zest of one lemon. Once baked and cooled, I used lemon curd from a jar for the filling between layers instead of painstakingly making my own. I whipped heavy cream, adding a couple tablespoons of light corn syrup (stabilizes whipped cream so it lasts for hours! There…one of my secrets!) and added three tablespoons of the powdered lemon drops. (I put some lemon drops through the blender till they turn to a sugary powder and sift out any chunks.) Frost with the whipped cream, dollop on some lemon curd, and sprinkle with a bit of the powdered lemon drops and, voila…Lemon Cake! Chill till serving time and wait for the ooooohs and aaaaahs!
❤
“His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.”
Job 1:4