And the sunshine was lemon yellow...

This weekend has been sunny and warm(ish) and wonderful.

Welcome Summer

This is our new friend who tries to sneak into our house at every opportunity. He likes the fact that Claire leaves Cheerios and Chex all over the floor.


Just the right kind of weekend* for this

Lemon Cake (modified from Ina Garten)

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  

For the glaze:

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and sugar 2 loaf pans (yes, that's right...chubby girls don't use flour we use sugar).

Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the lemon zest. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine lemon juice, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter. Divide the batter (which will be very thick) evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool completely.
Combine confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

**this could also be because the lemon tree is fully producing and we have more lemons than we know what to do with