Sunday 8 July 2012

Aunt Gwen's Lemon Cake

My Grandma Edith on my Mom's side was one of ten children. They were kind and generous farm people who lived off the land and frequently welcomed guests into their home. My Grandma's Mother was known to make 19 cherry pies for a single Sunday. They frequently made enormous meals to feed the threshing gangs that came through to help take off the harvest as well as their large family.


My Grandma is 4th from the right and her brother George is the smallest. Two more boys came later. I just love this photo and wish they would have lined up in the same manner when they were older.

Anyway, hope you can follow this. George married Gwen and moved to California so we didn't know their branch of the family well but always tried to see them when they came back to visit. This is Gwen's recipe for Lemon Cake.

I just recently got this recipe (here's where it gets confusing but interesting). George's son Harold is married to Mary Hunt who is the Everyday Cheapskate. She is a nationally syndicated author and writes regularly in Women's Day. Many years ago she got into a lot of debt and has since made a living with her tips for saving money. You can google her and check it out. She would be my 2nd cousin, I believe. She was given Aunt Gwen's recipe collection and recently posted this one on her website.
This cake is delicious. So moist and so much lemony goodness. Try it, you'll like it.


Aunt Gwen's Lemon Cake
1 box Lemon Cake mix
1- 3 ounce lemon gelatin like Jell-O
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup water
4 eggs
Preheat oven to 350F. Place all ingredients in mixing bowl and mix with electric beater. Pour into greases 9x13 pan. Bake approx. 35 min or until toothpick comes out clean. Set aside to cool for about 5 minutes. In the meantime, make the glaze.

Glaze
Juice of 2 lemons
Zest of 2 lemons
2 cups icing sugar
Place all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well by hand with a whisk until sugar is fully incorporated
Using a fork or wooden skewer, punch holes all over warm cake. Pour lemon glaze mixture over top of cake and allow it to soak in. No need for further icing. Go ahead and have a piece now, even if its not completely cool. You know you want to.