Easy Lemon Cake Recipe - Recipes From Europe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between American and European cake? ›

European cakes are different from American cakes on many levels, starting with the flavors and textures. Most of these cakes aren't as sweet as those found at most American bakeries. They're also all about the flavor – fruit, chocolate and cream.

Mayonnaise: The Hidden Gem in Cake Recipes

Made up of eggs and oil, mayonnaise acts as an emulsifier, adding creaminess and moisture to your cake.

Combine lemon zest with oil or butter

Rub the lemon into the sugar, then add your cooking fat, like butter or oil. The tangy zest will infuse the whole batter, elevating the tart flavor of your dessert. For a shortcut, you can use lemon-infused olive oil.

Sweetness: American pastries are often sweeter, with generous use of sugar, syrups, and sweet fillings. European pastries generally have a more balanced and nuanced sweetness, allowing the natural flavors of the ingredients to shine through.

Cakes and pastries are fluffy and light in nature due to the presence of baking soda in it. When baking soda is combined with both an acidic ingredient and a liquid, it becomes activated. Upon activation, Carbon dioxide is produced, which allows baked products to rise and become light and fluffy.

These are the key ingredients that make a cake rise. There are two types of leavening agents, chemical (baking soda and baking powder) and biological (yeast).

USE VEGETABLE OIL. While butter undoubtedly imparts excellent flavor, vegetable oil can really elevate a cake when it comes to moisture. Replacing butter with vegetable oil in your cake recipes typically yields moist results.

Tips for Making the Best Lemon Loaf

Lemon flavor: Let's all say it together: LEMON JUICE DOESN'T ADD LEMON FLAVOR (when added to the cake). Instead, try adding more zest, lemon extract, or a lemon soak.

Why does my lemon cake taste bitter? ›

If you purposely or accidentally used baking soda instead of baking powder without making any changes to your recipe, you'll definitely end up with a bitter taste. Remember, baking soda is an alkaline, or base, ingredient that naturally has a bitter taste. Baking powder is a multi-ingredient leavener.

I loved pairing it with fresh raspberries in the middle of the layers, but feel free to trade them out for freshly sliced strawberries, a favorite berry jam, or just skip the fruit all together and go with lemon on lemon!

Applesauce acts much like the fat. It keeps the flour protein from mixing completely with the wet ingredients and forming a rubbery, dense texture. This is what does applesauce do in baking.

The simple syrup helps keep them moist longer and in fact, they're usually better the second day. What is golden syrup in British baking? It's a sweet liquid similar in appearance, but not taste, to honey or maple syrup. It's made from refining either sugar cane or sugar beet.

Food Additive Guidelines: More Stringent in Europe

EU regulations on food additives tend to be stricter than in the US. The EFSA requires additives to be proven safe before approval and has banned the use of growth hormones and several chemical additives.

American-style cakes have most of the fat baked into the cake, where European-style tortes has layers of relatively low-fat cake that are moistened with flavored simple syrup.

Is American bread sweeter than European bread? The biggest difference between American breads versus European breads is the quality of the ingredients used in each bread. Standard, store-bought American bread contains many preservatives and fillers that are banned in European countries.

“With a higher fat percentage, European butter can make your baked goods richer and more tender,” she says. “American butter, in contrast, can make things a bit lighter.”