Simple Lemon Cake + Glaze

Light and refreshing.

It's summertime! You need something light to satisfy your sweet tooth! Here is a simple cake, extra lemony from the lemon zest and lemon glaze. The lemon keeps this cake from being too sweet and heavy. You can bake it in whatever pan you want-- I used an 8x8, but I imagine this would be even lovelier in a loaf pan as a pound cake sort of thing. The recipe is adapted from the Williams Sonoma Baking book.

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1.25 cups of self-rising flour (if you use all-purpose, add 1 teaspoon baking powder and a pinch of salt)
• 1/2 cup milk
• ~1 tablespoon lemon zest
• For the glaze: 5 tablespoons lemon juice (for me, this was the juice of one lemon), ~1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Beat together shortening and sugar.
3. Add eggs and mix one at a time.
4. Add flour, milk, lemon zest and mix.
5. Bake for about 45 minutes (depending on what pan/oven you use, the time will vary) or until toothpick comes out clean.
6. Glaze: In a saucepan on medium heat, add lemon juice and sugar. I used a little more than 1/4 cup, but you should just add until it tastes good to you. Add a little bit of cornstarch at a time, until the juice thickens into a glaze.