This week I decided to make a hundred-year-old recipe for Lemon Citron Cake. I can already sense your questions. Why make this cake in February? Isn’t citron a holiday fruitcake ingredient that is usually only available in stores in December?
Well . . . let me explain.
Do you ever have ingredients left over after completing holiday baking, and don’t know how you’ll ever use them? Well, that’s how I felt about some citron that was still lingering in one of my kitchen cabinets. I thought that I might have to throw it out; but, then I happened across a recipe for Lemon Citron Cake in a hundred-year-old cookbook and decided to give it a try.
The cake was delightful. It had a lovely, light texture and a sunny citrus flavor. The original recipe didn’t indicate whether the cake should be iced. I decided to put a light lemon glaze on it, which worked well with the citron. Citron is too tasty to be relegated to just the winter holidays. Assuming you can find the citron, this cake would be lovely during any season.
Here’s the original recipe:
It seemed unusual that this recipe called for two egg yolks and three egg whites, so I decided that maybe there was a typo and used three egg yolks. It worked fine. I’m also not sure why the recipe called for creaming some of the sugar with the Crisco shortening and the remainder with the egg yolks, and then combining. I just put them all in the mixing bowl.
Any shortening will work for this recipe so I didn’t specify a brand. Additionally, I gently stirred the citron into the cake batter after all the other ingredients had been combined rather then adding pieces of citron “here and there” as the batter was being poured into the pan.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Lemon Citron Cake
3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
grated rind, 1/2 lemon
2 ounces citron (about 1/4 cup)
Preheat oven to 350° F. Put egg whites in a medium mixing bowl and beat until stiff. Set aside.
Put the shortening, egg yolks, and sugar in a mixing bowl; beat until smooth. Add milk, flour, baking powder, and salt; beat to combine. Gently fold in the egg whites, then gently stir in the grated lemon rind and citron. Spoon the batter into an ungreased tube pan with removable bottom (angel food cake pan). Bake for 45 minutes or until the cake is lightly browned and the top springs back when lightly touched.
If desired, glaze with a thin icing made with melted butter, confectioners sugar, and lemon juice.
Yet another Anglo-American difference! Citron is available here all the year round, but particularly before Easter, when we make Simnel cake. Same recipe as Christmas cake, but with a layer of marzipan half way though, put in before baking. Decorated with marzipan and 11 marzipan eggs – one for each apostle apart from Bad Judas. Do you have this too?
I don’t think so, I’ve never heard of a Simnel cake – though it sounds absolutely delightful. Your description makes my mouth water. We have Hot Cross Buns for Easter. They are a slightly sweet cinnamon-flavored bun with raisins or currants, and an cross made with frosting on the top. I think that traditionally they may have also sometimes contained citron, but usually now it’s just raisins or currants.
Yup, hot cross buns have been a traditional part of Easter for centuries here too (plus citron!). When I was a child, we only ever ate them on Good Friday, but now, sadly, they are available year round. And sadly too in my opinion, in all kinds of non-traditional flavours, such as chocolate and even Marmite! Our cross is usually piped on – a simple flour and lightly-sweetened sugar paste. Do children in America sing
Hot Cross Buns
Hot Cross Buns
One a penny, two a penny
Hot Cross Buns?
Yes, children sing that ditty here, too. We’ve found something that is the same on both sides of the Atlantic. But, I think that we’ve also identified something else that is different. I had not idea what “marmite” was, so I googled it and learned that it is a popular spread in the U.K. that is made of yeast extract. 🙂
‘Popular’ may be pushing it. You either love it or hate it, so it’s entered normal speech to describe anything that you can’t be indifferent to, but … either love or hate. I love it!
Now I’m really curious about what it tastes like. 🙂
Really hard to explain. Very salty and savoury. It’s the kind of thing an English person living abroad often has in the cupboard to remind them of home. You’ll have to find such a person!
Looks wonderful, especially with that drizzle of icing!
It’s yummy.
Ah Ha! I was able to purchase citron on sale after Christmas for 19₵ and bought 3 of them (gave one to a friend) so was wondering what I was going to do with it!! Now I know! Thanks tons!
You’re welcome. Wow – 19₵. I paid a lot more for the citron I bought back last December. It’s amazing how much prices drop on seasonal foods after the holidays. I got a really good deal on several packages of walnuts and other nuts in the shell in January.
Every day is Citron Day in my book! Looks like a really lovely cake. My experience is citron is a love it/hate it kinda thing. My sister can’t stand it. I adore it.
The cake was tasty. Like you, I like citron.
This looks so good Sheryl! The texture alone is enough to lure us in.
The cake had a very nice texture.
Your cake sounds like and looks like refreshingly tasty treat.
It was tasty.
Hmmmm. Thinking of making this one. ♡
It’s yummy.