When you’ve tackled 5 loads of laundry, cleaned up Cheerios for the 1000th time after being on hold with the garbage company for 25 minutes, and you’re working from home battling Excel spreadsheets to the soundtrack of a little boy screaming “baseball and skateboards,” THIS is the cake that you must turn to to quiet the shit storm you’ve just encountered.

You are worthy. You are capable and you can handle anything now that you have a slice of this cake. Go ahead. You deserve it! The liberation derived from a slice can be compared to the feeling of removing your spanx, pantyhose AND clingy dress with too tight of a waistband and substituting them with a baggy sweatshirt and soft yoga pants.  Finally, you can breathe again.

Spiced Lemon Cake. Spiced? Not really. The cardamon didn’t pack as much of a spice punch as I’d hoped. Is it still worthy of being one of the best/simplest lemon cakes? Yes. The glaze provides just enough tang to match the fluffy light lemony cake it rests upon. If you are looking to fulfill the spice aspect, perhaps a full teaspoon instead of 3/4 will do the trick.

Pair a slice with a cup of milky tea, and this cake is absolutely divine.

Crazy day? What crazy day? There’s cake!

And we’re off!

Here are your ingredients:

You’ll need to zest your lemon.

And get all your dry stuff together in a bowl.

Cream your butter, zest & spice.

Add in the eggs- 1 at a time.

Get ready to add your lemon juice in.

Add it in and alternate with the dry ingredients & the sour cream. MIX!

Who wants dibs on the beaters?!!

Pour it into your lubed cake pan. I used a 9 inch pan and sprayed it with PAM.

Now you are ready to bake that baby.  Take a breath. Smell that lemon cake batter. Taste it?

It’s out of the oven and you’re ready to frost. Add the lemon juice to the powdered sugar.

And slowly pour that citrus spiked glaze on top of your cake.

Watch it drip down the sides….

And top with a few zests of your leftover lemon. Pretty!

Spiced Lemon Cake

(recipe from Martha Stewart Magazine)

Makes one 8-inch cake

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest plus 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Beat butter, granulated sugar, zest, and cardamom with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Beat in 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Reduce speed to medium-low; beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour. Pour batter into cake pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack. Let cool, top side up. Whisk confectioners’ sugar with remaining 3 tablespoons lemon juice until smooth; pour over cooled cake.

Shutterbean Notes:

-I used a 9 inch cake pan

-I had to add a little bit extra lemon juice to the frosting because it didn’t saturate enough of the powdered sugar