Lemoniest Lemon Cake!

I baked this cake yesterday. Again a very easy and simple cake like I have given before too. I needed to take it to the company I'm working at since the beginning of this month. I got this recipe from a very good ex-colleague of mine who actually knew it by heart and wrote it down for me on a paper about 7 or 8 years ago, which has been so dear to me and I have kept it very carefully in my folder with all the good recipes I have tried and tested. Now it is time to put it down here in my blog. And this is really so easy to remember by heart that once you have made it a couple of times, then there is no need for a paper to look at actually.
This is one very summery, lemony recipe which I always make at least once during summers. As it is a not so heavy and a very quick recipe. And if you are a beginner, then this is just the recipe for you, as I feel that one can make it blindfolded.
And the best thing about it that, despite it being so easy, it is so very delicious that I always have people asking for its recipe and lots of praises too. I think the cake deserves it too.


It is very rare that I do not modify any recipe to my taste or needs when I make it, even if it only a little bit or the first time of making it. But this is so perfect that there isn't much that I can do to change or improve it. It is just the most delicious and easiest recipe of a cake that I have ever got hold of.
So, Elke, thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Temperature: 180°C convection oven (200°C electric)

Ingredients:

Cake Batter:
4 eggs
3 cups all puorpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil, a neutral one
1 cup sparkling water (or lemonade or plain water is as good)
1 envelop baking powder (I think it is around 20 g or 3 tsps)
1 envelop vanilla sugar or vanilla extract (2 tsp)

1 lemon, organic or untreated, to use the zest of lemon and the juice

Sugar Icing / Frosting:
1 lemon, organic or untreated
250 g (1 packet) Icing sugar (Confectioner's sugar)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180°C convection (200°C electric)
  
• Mix flour with the baking powder in a bowl
  
• Add sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla extract and the sparkling water to it and beat into a smooth and runny batter with a hand or a stand mixer
• Pour the batter on a baking try or a large jelly-roll pan and bake in the oven for 25 minutes and checking with a knife and, if required, baking further
• In the mean time remove the lemon zest and keep aside (make sure to wash the lemons in hot water before using)
  
• Prepare the sugar icing/ frosting with the juice of one lemon and 250 g icing sugar
  
• Add the juice slowly and carefully, spoon by spoon, mixing in between to make not-too-thin frosting and keep aside
  
• Once the cake is done, take it out and sprinkle with the juice of one lemon
• While the cake is still warm, pour the frosting on the cake and spread it very slowly and gently with a spatula on the cake (as the lemon juice makes the surface soft)
• Sprinkle the zest over the icing on the cake and cut into appropriate sized pieces ans serve warm or cold.

The cake can be kept for up to 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Before you can stack the cake pieces one over the other, let the cake cool down completely and use butter paper which has been rubbed with just enough butter to soak the butter in the paper. This will prevent the icing from sticking to the paper or foil or wrap used otherwise.
So, as they would say in German: Guten Appetit!