Lemon Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

The weather in Arizona has been quite lovely these past few days. It feels as if our short spring is right around the corner. And nothing says spring like lemons! Lemon bundt cake, that is.

Ingredients:

Cake
1 1/4 cups flour,  sifted
1 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tbs. lemon zest
3 tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 tbs. vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar (adjust according to taste)
2 eggs, room temperature
1 cup milk – milk plus 1 tbs. lemon juice (or buttermilk)

Lemon syrup:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
2 tbsp. lemon juice (add more or less depending how tart the lemons are)
1 1/2 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar (adjust according to taste)

Preheat Oven 350 degrees. Generously coat a Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust the pan with all-purpose flour. Sift the all-purpose flour, and cake flour into a medium bowl, along with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle gently beat lemon juice, lemon zest, vegetable oil, milk and sugar; adding the eggs 1 at a time. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add to the dry ingredients, be careful not to over beat. Scrape down the side of the bowl and fold the batter until it is blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use a spatula to smooth the surface. Tap pan on the counter to help remove any air. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 35 - 40 minutes or until the toothpick test comes out clean, rotating the pan halfway through. Let the cake cool on a rack for 30 minutes.

While the cake is baking in a small saucepan, combine the sugar with the lemon juice and bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Let the lemon syrup cool slightly.

Invert the cake onto a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Using a wooden skewer, poke holes evenly all over the cake and brush with the lemon syrup. Let the cake cool completely. Alternatively, I have also used a plastic knife to loosen the cake from the pan and poured syrup over the cake while it is still in pan. Once cake has cooled completely, I inverted the cake directly onto my cake platter.

To make the cream cheese frosting, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Mix in the lemon juice, and then gradually stir in the powdered sugar. Frost cake just before serving.

To frosting the cake, spoon frosting into a pastry bag with no tip attached. Starting in the hole of the bundt cake, squeeze and drag frosting up and over, stopping about 3/4th way down the cake. Repeat all around cake. Frost cake right before serving. Adorn cake with a silk flower or a tissue paper pom pom.

The unfrosted bundt cake can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.


This cake is soft  and moist with a deliciously light lemon flavor.  Surprisingly easy to make, your friends will think you bought it from Nothing Bundt Cake. This cake will make you feel like it is spring time!

Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake

Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake

My sweet tooth was tugging at me for the past few days. I wanted to cave into my craving however, I did not want to eat anything from a box. Striving to not have to go to store, I searched my fridge, and to my amazement I found that I had all the necessary ingredients to make cheesecake. 

I came across several recipes on the Internet for cheesecake; this is my kitchen tested version.

Graham cracker crust:
8 to 9 Ladyfinger cookies
8 Graham cracker cookies (1 pkg)
2 tbsp. raw cane sugar
3 tbsp. melted butter

Cheesecake:
Pint of low-fat ricotta cheese
1/2 pint goat's milk plain yogurt 
2 (8oz.) Neufchatel cheese, or farmer's cheese (cut into chunks and room temperature)
4 large eggs
3/4 cup raw cane sugar
1/4 tsp. lemon zest
2 - 3  tsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. corn starch
3 tbsp. all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (176ºC). Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch spring form pan. And wrap bottom of pan with foil.

2. Combine ladyfingers and graham crackers in food processor until fine, add unbleached cane sugar and melted butter. Pour cookie mixture into your prepared pan and press evenly using the bottom of a glass cup.

3. On medium speed of your electric mixer, combine ricotta cheese until smooth, then add Neufchatel cheese a little at a time, making sure to scrape the sides of mixing bowl periodically until well combined. Add lightly beaten eggs one at a time, scraping sides of bowl after each addition. Next add corn starch, flour, lemon juice,lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Then add sugar a little at a time until desired sweetness. Slowly add butter. Add yogurt until well combined.

Baking  cheesecake in a water bath, helps  reduces the chances the cheesecake will crack, or curdle. Just make sure to wrap the bottom of pan with foil to prevent water from seeping in.

4. Pour batter on top of cookie crust and bake in water bath for about 1 hour until firm to touch and center is soft. Shut off oven, leave cheesecake in oven for one hour. Remove from oven, and let cool for at least one hour at room temperature.

Optional: I like my cheesecakes to have a slightly brown crust so I put the broiler on for a couple of minutes, keep a careful watch as it could burn very quickly.

Serve at room temperature or slightly warm. We couldn't resist and ate the cheesecake while it was warm and it was sooooo good. The softest cheesecake I ever had.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.