Lemonade Cake, Oh, yum!

Lemons. I love lemons. When I see a lemon, I instantly think of sunshine. They even look like little orbs of sunshine. The scent of this yellow citrus fruit is fresh, clean and  invigorating.  Lemons can perk up almost any dish by adding a touch of freshness with a little twist and brighten up the presentation of a plate in a flash!

This is one of my favorite cake recipes. My niece, Christina, once told me, "Aunt Teeters, This is banging!" I took that as a positive review.



Lemonade Layer Cake
Cooking Light

Ingredients

• Cake:
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 3 tablespoons thawed lemonade concentrate
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free buttermilk
• Cooking spray
• Frosting:
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
• 2 teaspoons thawed lemonade concentrate
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat well after each addition.

Pour batter into 2 (9-inch) round cake pans coated with cooking spray; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare frosting, place 2 tablespoons butter and the next 4 ingredients (2 tablespoons butter through cream cheese) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, and beat at low speed just until blended (do not overbeat). Chill 1 hour.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 322
• Calories from fat: 28%
• Fat: 9.9g
• Saturated fat: 5.9g
• Monounsaturated fat: 2.9g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 0.5g
• Protein: 5g
• Carbohydrate: 54.1g
• Fiber: 0.5g
• Cholesterol: 53mg
• Iron: 1mg
• Sodium: 293mg
• Calcium: 60mg