Lemon Cheese Cake

I have moved on…to baking cakes.

 

I just discovered a new-to-me author and I am reading my third book from her pen.  The author is Celestine Sibley.  She has been added to my list of favorite authors. The second book that I read of hers was A Place Called Sweet Apple.  She writes about buying a dilapidated old cabin, renovating it with the help of friends and neighbors and her life there.  The book concludes with many mouth-watering, southern recipes.  I started with a cake recipe. You know me…I love carbs.

 

The recipe is a gem from her Mother and the author admits this is one of two recipes she has never tried herself because she feared not living up to the high culinary standards of her Mother’s.  But, I tried it.

 

The cake is Lemon Cheese Cake which confused me from the start since there is no cheese in the cake.

 

The ingredients and directions were simple.  The anticipated result sounded delicious.  I got to baking.

 

Remember those extra dishes I saved myself from washing when I made the KFC Cole Slaw.  Well, I more than made up for those few dishes here.  In preparing the cake and lemon filling, I used, in no particular order:  3 glass cake pans, 2 cooling racks, a one-cup glass measure, a two-cup glass measure, a medium stainless steel pot with double boiler insert, a one-cup dry measure, a half-cup dry measure, a teaspoon measure, a mesh colander, 2 glasses, 2 mixing bowls, grater, juicer, and various utensils which included a spoon, a fork, a whisk, a wooden spoon and a spatula... WHEW!

 

Now, that is a lot of dishes.  And, they were all necessary.

 

I hand mixed all the ingredients.  Why?  Because that is how Sibley’s mother did it. Also, the directions call for ‘fold in’ ingredients and that can only be done properly by hand.  ‘Fold in’ is a slow and delicate process.  I can remember my own mother ‘folding in’ during her own cake baking.  ‘Folding in’ is not an easy technique either.  Even though a gentle mix, it takes a lot of muscle.  Fortunately, I needed a bit of exercise for the day and this ‘folding in’ provided a real workout.  Let’s just say my biceps felt the burn.

 

 

 

 

I baked the three tiers.  I spread the cooled real lemon filling between the tiers and on top.  No extra frosting was required.  I was ready to eat my cake.

 

Yummy.  You have to really like lemon to like this cake.  And, I do like lemon. 

 

The cake tasted like a cousin to another favorite of mine, Lemon Meringue Pie as the fillings in both taste just about the same.

 

And, there is nothing like opening the cake container (yes, another dish) to cut into the fresh lemon-filled cake for a pure sweet sour flavorful treat.

 

Next on my agenda…dieting.