You want some summer time Cake, Love?

A friend asked me for my lemon spice cake recipe the other day, and it got me thinking- I need to put more recipes up here so you all can try them out. She had great success with this one, and I am also posting the suggested cream cheese bourbon frosting too...

Lemon Cardamom Cake

• 2 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup milk
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temp
• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• the zest of 2 lemons ( preferably Meyer)- zest the lemons over the milk/egg mix to catch some of the lemon oil.

1. preheat to 350 with rack in middle.
2.grease and four a 9/13 pan
3.whisk all dry ingredients together
4. mix wet ingredients in a second container, including lemon zest, but leaving out the softened butter.
5. gently blend softened butter into dry ingredients until you have pea sized crumb
6. add milk mix in 3 stages careful- don't over mix!
7. pour batter into cake pan and bake until toothpick comes out clean from the center.
8. cool on a rack for 5 minutes, run a knife around the side, turn out onto the rack and cool further before frosting.

Cream Cheese Bourbon Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 5 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean pod ( slices 1/2 lengthwise and the pods scrapped out. only use the pods)
• 5 tablespoons bourbon ( teehee) you can flame it if the alcohol concerns you, but I really like the cooling effect it has on the rich frosting.

1.whip softened butter and cream cheese together until well blended
2.add vanilla (bean), bourbon and sugar. blend well.

delicious!