SEMOLINA ALMOND LEMON CAKE

Just about everyone I know loves a bright, lemony sweet for spring. Though the deep, puckery lemon finish of, say, a lemon bar, can’t be ignored, they’re a bit fussy for me these days.

This cake, on the other hand, which I adapted from dessert queen Maida Heatter, delivers the same overtly lemony flavor but without the cloying sweetness, and with much less work. It’s also beautiful, but that kind of easy beautiful I love most.

Here I mix gluten-free or regular all-purpose flour with almond flour and fine cornmeal or semolina for a texture that’s irresistibly tender. Make sure to brush on the glaze while the cake is still warm, which helps it absorb. You can serve this cake unadorned—it’s delicious all on its own—but if you have the time, add on the shingled lemons for a spectacular finish.

SEMOLINA ALMOND LEMON CAKE

CAKE:

1 CUP (2 STICKS) UNSALTED BUTTER, AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, PLUS FOR BRUSHING

FINE DRY BREADCRUMBS (UNSEASONED), FOR DUSTING THE PAN

1 1/2 CUPS ALL-PURPOSE OR GLUTEN-FREE ALL PURPOSE FLOUR

1 CUP ALMOND FLOUR

1/2 CUP SEMOLINA FLOUR OR FINELY GROUND (GLUTEN-FREE) CORNMEAL

2 TEASPOONS BAKING POWDER

1/2 TEASPOON FINE SEA SALT

2 CUPS GRANULATED SUGAR

2 TABLESPOONS FINELY GRATED LEMON ZEST (FROM 3 LARGE LEMONS)

4 LARGE EGGS

1 CUP WHOLE MILK OR BUTTERMILK (EITHER WORKS!)

GLAZE:

2/3 CUP SUGAR

1/3 CUP FRESHLY SQUEEZED LEMON JUICE

CANDIED LEMONS (RECIPE TO FOLLOW) , FOR GARNISH

TO MAKE THE CAKE: PREHEAT A 350 DEGREE OVEN WITH A RACK IN THE MIDDLE TO LOWER THIRD. BUTTER A 9-INCH TUBE PAN OR 9 X 13 INCH BAKING PAN, THEN DUST LIGHTLY WITH BREAD CRUMBS, DUSTING OUT ANY EXTRAS.

WHISK TOGETHER THE FLOUR, ALMOND FLOUR, SEMOLINA, BAKING POWDER AND SALT IN A LARGE BOWL AND SET ASIDE.

IN THE BOWN OF A STAND MIXER FITTED WITH THE PADDLE ATTACHMENT, BEAT THE BUTTER, SUGAR AND LEMON ZEST ON HIGH SPEED UNTIL LIGHT AND CREAMY, 3 TO 4 MINUTES. ADD THE EGGS, ONE AT A TIME, SCRAPING BETWEEN ADDITIONS.

WITH THE MIXER ON LOW, ADD THE DRY INGREDIENTS IN THREE ADDITIONS, ALTERNATING WITH THE MILK, STARTING AND ENDING WITH THE DRY INGREDIENTS. SCRAPE THE BOWL BETWEEN ADDITIONS TO MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO DRY BITS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BOWL.

TRANSFER THE BATTER TO THE PREPARED PAN AND BAKE UNTIL THE TOP IS LIGHTLY BROWNED AND A TOOTHPICK INSERTED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CAKE COMES OUT CLEAN, ABOUT 65 TO 70 MINUTES. COOL IN THE PAN FOR 5 MINUTES, THEN INVERT ONTO A WIRE RACK TO COOL. WHEN THE CAKE IS COOL ENOUGH TO HANDLE, TRANSFER IT TO A PLATTER.

MAKE THE GLAZE: STIR TOGETHER THE SUGAR AND LEMON JUICE UNTIL THE SUGAR DISSOLVES. BRUSH ALL OVER THE TOP OF THE WARM CAKE, REPEATING UNTIL ALL THE GLAZE HAS BEEN USED. GARNISH WITH CANDIED LEMONS (SEE BELOW), IF DESIRED.

CANDIED LEMONS

3 MEYER OR REGULAR LEMONS, WASHED

1/2 CUP SUGAR

SLICE THE LEMONS AS THIN AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT BREAKING THEM (THEY SHOULD BE THIN, ROUND INTACT SHAPES). PREHEAT THE BROILER TO LOW WITH THE RACK AT LEAST 8 INCHES FROM THE HEAT SOURCE.

TRANSFER THE LEMON SLICES TO A WIRE RACK SET OVER A SHEET PAN AND SPRINKLE WITH THE SUGAR (IT’S OKAY IF SOME FALLS ON THE PAN). BROIL, WATCHING VERY CLOSELY AND ROTATING THE PAN AS NEEDED TO COOK EVENLY, UNTIL THE LEMONS ARE GOLDEN AND THE FLESH IS DRY AND SHINY, ABOUT 1 TO 3 MINUTES.

COOL BEFORE USING (THESE HOLD, COMPLETELY COOLED AND STORED IN AN AIRTIGHT CONTAINER AT ROOM TEMPERATURE FOR UP TO THREE DAYS).

** recipes and images belong to Sarah Copeland and should not be used or pinned without attribution. **

PHOTOS // HARRISON LUBIN

FOOD + PROP STYLING // SARAH COPELAND