Is there anything that tastes like “summer” more than a cold glass of fresh lemonade?! I’ve seen a few lemonade stands pop up on our street, and my kids ask me almost daily if they can set up their own stand. I guess I should get on that!
In the meantime, I figured I would make a cake that has a nice tart lemonade flavour baked right in. And I’m so glad I did!
This cake is so moist and delicious. And if I told you it is a tad bit healthier than regular cake, you probably wouldn’t believe me. But, it’s TRUE! Here’s why:
- I substituted virgin coconut oil for the butter
- I used fat-free buttermilk
- I used low-fat cream cheese for the frosting
The original recipe came from Weight Watchers, but like I said, I substituted the coconut oil for the butter since coconut oil is a healthier fat.
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons virgin coconut oil, melted
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
- 3 tablespoons thawed lemonade concentrate
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg whites
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 cups fat-free buttermilk (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil, melted
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
- 2 teaspoons thawed lemonade concentrate
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 ounces low-fat cream cheese
- 3 1/2 cups icing sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare cake, place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat well after each addition.
Pour batter into 2 (9-inch) round cake pans coated with cooking spray; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.
To prepare frosting, place coconut oil and the next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, and beat at low speed just until blended (do not overbeat). Chill 1 hour.
Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Store cake covered in the refrigerator.
Notes
To make your own buttermilk, fill a measuring cup with 1 cup + 3 Tbsp skim milk. Add 1 Tbsp lemon juice and let sit for 5 minutes.
It’s no surprise we all loved this cake. Any cake with a slight lemon flavour and a thin layer of cream cheese frosting is always a favorite of mine. I was surprised how moist this cake was considering it doesn’t contain your typical amount of oil and eggs for a cake. It was even better the next day, after the flavours had a chance to soak in.
The next time you want to eat your lemonade instead of drink it, I highly recommend you make this cake!
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh, wow, another luscious cake with beautiful pictures!! I’ll have to try this one for sure. Thanks!
Looks good Jen,
Whats it like to cook with coconut oil? I want to start using this ingredient instead of butter.
Thanks!
It’s great! You can’t taste the coconut when you cook with it. Plus it’s a healthier fat than butter. Sometimes I’ll substitute 1/2 the butter for coconut oil.
Sounds good Jen! I want to start steering clear of butter in deserts as its simple too fatty. I hear a lot about coconut oil and I want to start using it for healthier reasons.
Keep up the good work Jen
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