Honey

Lemon Whole Grains Sour Cream Cake

by:
February  5, 2018
2
3 Ratings
Lemon Whole Grains Sour Cream Cake
Photo by Nicole Aandahl
  • Makes 1 bundt cake
Author Notes

My grandmother's lemon cake was heaven in a slice.  It was rich and fluffy and sweet, with just the  right amount of tartness.  But, it was also tinged yellow with food coloring and drenched in a sticky, sugary glaze.  

My cake is also moist, sweet, and lemony - but with less sugar and butter.  I use whole grain flour plus fresh lemons and sour cream - but no food coloring.   This cake is delicious on its own, but can also be served with freshly whipped cream and fresh berries. —Nicole Aandahl

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3 cups whole grain flour, like King Arthur's Sprouted Wheat
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 5 tablespoons sour cream, at room temperature
  • 1 cup organic cane sugar
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 3/4 cup whole buttermilk
  • 4 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
  2. Thoroughly and generously butter a bundt pan.
  3. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and lemon zest.  Set aside.
  4. In the bowl of a standing mixer, or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer, beat the sugar into the butter and sour cream until fluffy.  Beat in the honey until well incorporated.  Then beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Finally, beat in the vanilla extract until you have a smooth consistency.
  5. Slowly mix the flour into the butter/egg mixture until it is a smooth batter.  
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan.  Bake for 45-50 minutes - to check, insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, the cake is done.
  7. Remove the cake(s) from the oven and let cool on a rack for 10-15 minutes.  Carefully loosen the sides with a butter knife and turn the cake out on a cake plate or platter.  Let cool completely, then slice and serve.
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5 Reviews

Powda P.
Powda P. December 10, 2022
Lacking in clear directions. For us who are experienced in baking, we are able to assess the recipe and add the ingredients/steps which are missing. Unfortunate that this error has been overlooked.
 
likestocooklovestoeat
likestocooklovestoeat April 1, 2022
This recipe has several inconsistencies: butter is mentioned in the process but not the ingredients list, and lemon juice is mentioned in the ingredients list but not the process. I added 1 3/4 sticks of softened butter, because that’s the quantity I saw in a very similar recipe, and I added the lemon juice to the batter, which gave it a curdled appearance but had no ill effects. I rubbed the zest into the sugar before mixing. The batter was thicker than I expected, but I baked it off in my oversized muffin tin (6 holes instead of 12) for a total of 8 muffins, and the finished product is surprisingly good. It’s lighter than I expected it to be but the whole wheat flour gives a nice nuttiness and the lemon flavor is satisfying. If I make them again, I might top them with turbinado sugar.
 
SophieL
SophieL July 7, 2021
I started to make this cake, then realized there was a big discrepancy in the ingredients list and the instructions. Butter? Buttermilk? This seems to happen a lot on this website.
 
Two S.
Two S. May 29, 2019
You forgot the butter in your ingredients! No one should attempt this recipe without the butter!
 
Two S.
Two S. May 29, 2019
An additional thought, perhaps there is only buttermilk, than say buttermilk, not butter in your instructions.