I am drooling over library cookbooks again.

This particular droolworthy book was chosen by my good friend Tanya, who grabs any new cookbooks that she thinks I might like as they arrive and puts them under the counter for me. It is always such a treat to be presented with a shiny new cookbook.

This recipe is a particularly easy one, but the resulting cake is delicious. The combination of a moist lemon sponge, with creamy lemon frosting and a snowfall of shredded coconut is a taste sensation I will be enjoying again soon and one I urge you to try.

My only advice is to set the oven temperature yourself and do not, I repeat, do not ask your husband to preheat the oven while you see to the baby, because although there are lemons and coconut standing in front of him, beside the cookbook, he still manages to read the oven temperature for the Pear and White Chocolate Cake! If you do insist on asking for his help, then do check the temperature before you put your cake in or it will be ever so slightly underdone in the centre like mine.































Easy Moist Lemon Cake
Cakes by Rachel Lane & Carla Bardi

Cake

1 ½ cups (225g) plain flour
¾ cup (150g) sugar
3 large eggs
½ cup (125g) butter, softened
1⁄3 cup (90ml) milk
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

Lemon frosting

1 ½ cups (225g) icing sugar
2 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp desiccated coconut

1. Preheat the oven to 350f/180c/gas mark 4. Lightly grease a 9-inch/23 cm square pan.

2. To prepare the cake, beat the flour, sugar, eggs, butter, milk, lemon zest, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer at low speed until well blended. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until pale and thick, 3-4 minutes. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake completely in the pan on a rack.

4. To prepare the frosting, beat the icing sugar and butter in a medium bowl. Beat in enough lemon juice to make a spreadable frosting. Spread the cake with the frosting, and sprinkle with the coconut.

Serves 8 - 10

Here are a few more lemon recipes you may like to try:

* Extreme Lemon Tart - The Caked Crusader
* Lemon Curd with Nutmeg - Tinned Tomatoes
* Lemon and Lime Meringue-Less Pie - Munchkin Mail
* Triple Lemon Slice - Katiecakes
* Lemon Lust Cake - Eat Me Delicious
* Lemon Verbeba Ice Cream - David Lebovitz
* Lemon and Almond Shortcakes - David Hall