Carrying on with the cake theme, I thought I’d share this Lemon Cake recipe. This is the second year in a row my daughter has asked for lemon cake for her birthday. Though my cookbook collection is truly excessive, I don’t have a good recipe for lemon cake. Since the first lemon cake request, I’ve been tinkering with various recipes, and this year I hit on a winner. This combines ideas from coconut cake, orange cake, and lemon scone recipes to created a very lemony cake with beautiful texture. I used lemon curd between layers for an over-the-top lemon experience. Do take the time to find barley flour—its flavour complements the lemon perfectly.

1 cup butter, softened

1 ¾ cup sugar

4 eggs, separated

grated zest of one lemon

2 ¼ cup all purpose flour

1 cup barley flour

½ tsp salt

2 ½ tsp baking powder

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

¾ cup water

Cream butter. Add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy. Add egg yolks and lemon zest and continue to beat. Mix flours, salt, and baking powder in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients alternately with lemon juice and water. Beat thoroughly after each addition. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour into greased and floured pans. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30 minutes. (Makes two 9-inch layers)