Buttermilk Bundt Cake

I'm in the mood for cake. A crumbly, pillowy warm sponge with lemon flavors. Appealing to the eyes and taste. With this in mind I bring eggs, butter, buttermilk to room temperature. Once that happens, it is as easy as creaming butter and sugar, adding eggs, flour and buttermilk and pre-heating the oven. 

Sponge cakes are relatively easy to make. A few caveats apply. The baking receptacle must be well greased and floured. Preferably with real butter. The oven must be pre- heated. And all the ingredients MUST be at room temperature.  Once you all the 'musts' out of the way, you can be assured of an airy, lighter than air sponge.

BUTTERMILK BUNDT CAKE

Serves 6

1/2 cup Butter and more for greasing the bundt pan

1/4 cup Shortening (Crisco)

1 3/4 cups AP Flour

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 1/4 cup Sugar

2 Eggs

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/2 cup Buttermilk 

2 tablespoons Lemon Juice

Glaze

1/2 cup Icing Sugar

2 tablespoons Lemon Juice

1 Lemon, zested

Bring all refrigerated ingredients to room temperature.

Grease a bundt pan well with butter, getting into the grooves. Dust pan with flour, tapping out excess flour.

Heat oven to 300F/150C.

Whisk flour, salt and baking powder together in a bowl.

Place butter and shortening in the bowl of a stand mixer. Cream butter for 1 minute.

Gradually add sugar into butter. Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes on medium speed, scraping the sides down often.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add vanilla to the batter.

Turn the speed to low. Add 1/3 of the flour, followed by 1/3 of the buttermilk. Mix until just combined. Repeat with 1/3 portions twice.

Add lemon juice and mix to combine.

Scrape batter into the bundt pan. Tap the bundt pan on the counter a few times to remove air bubbles.

Bake cake for 1 hour or until the cake tester comes out clean. 

Make the glaze while cake bakes. 

Combine icing sugar, lemon juice and zest till smooth. 

Cool cake on wire rack for 15-20 minutes. 

Use a knife to loosen the edges of the cake. 

Invert cake on to a platter. 

Dribble glaze onto warm cake.

Enjoy slices plain or with berries.

NOTES

I use both butter and Crisco, a solid shortening. If you cannot find it use more butter in its place. 

Buttermilk is the store bought kind. A good substitute is combining 1 cup milk with 2 tablespoons lemon juice or white vinegar and allowing it to sit for 15 minutes. It will thicken. 

A baking sponge cake in the oven is one of the most heavenly aromas on earth. We eat warm slices with tea. We eat slices drizzled with berry syrup for dinner.  It's love on a plate.

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