Simple Lemon Cake

by Amber
(SandGap, Ky)

I grew up eating home cooked meals and desserts made from scratch. My mother always used her simple little cake recipe and flavored it with whatever we had. Which brings along this deliciously moist lemon cake. It's very simple to make and doesn't require many ingredients at all - nobody believes it is actually tasty when they hear how little goes into it, but oh how wonderful it is!


Cake Mix (This makes a large cake: we used a 13x9x2 glass pan):

- Two large cups (we never used a measuring cup - we just always used a basic coffee cup or mug, roughly 10-11 ounces) of self-rising flour

- Two eggs

- 1/2 Cup (again, the 10-11 ounce mug) of cooking oil

- 1 Cup (10-11 ounce) sugar

- 1 Cup (10-11) water

- 3-4+ Tablespoons (we also never used actual measuring spoons - just use a large spoon in your utensil drawer) lemon extract. Feel free to add more or less depending on how lemony you want it to be. The cake my mother always made wasn't overpowering, so if you want a bold lemon flavor, add a bit more lemon extract.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Pour into baking pan and bake for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. *



Lemon Glaze:

- 1/3 Cup - 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Extract
- A few drops of water

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. If you want the glaze to be white and noticeable, add more powdered sugar until the glaze is completely white and a bit thicker than just plain water, sort of like syrup.

You can either pour this on the cake while hot or after it cools. Poke holes in the cake and drizzle the glaze over top until the desired amount is added. Feel free to make extra and pour over your individual slice!

Enjoy!


* Cooking times vary according ovens. I recommend checking the cake after the 15 minute mark just to get an idea of when it will be ready.



PS: Feel free to tweak this recipe as you would like. It's very simple and I understand that a lot of people enjoy adding their own flavor and style - go for it!