Meyer Lemon Sheet Cake

Meyer Lemon Sheet Cake is not something I would have made back in my days of fancy layer cakes.

Ages ago I took a long series of cake decorating lessons and spent many hours converting all of my cake, frosting and filling recipes to work with all the various sized pans I might be using for different numbers of people.

Gradually (quite quickly, actually!) I acquired all the equipment one would need to make all sorts of beautiful cakes for any occasion, including weddings. It was fun, but I am so over all that!

Sure, I'll still do a fancy cake once in a while, if I happen to get in the mood. Usually, I just make a layer cake (homemade, of course) frosted and filled with a buttery icing and maybe do a simple piped border.

But for days when even that is too much effort ... there's always one of my quick and easy sheet cakes that are served right from the pan—a quarter-sheet pan or a half-sheet pan for a big feeds-a-crowd cake like this.

It is quite a flat cake, tender and velvety, and can be cut into about seven or eight dozen 1 1/2-inch squares as a quick and easy stand-in for petits fours (I don't make those anymore either!) at your next large tea party.

I like to spread the frosting on while the cake is still warm so it sort of melts into a smooth, shiny glaze. But in this case, it just looks like frosting because the cake completely cooled while I ran to the store for some powdered sugar.

I know, I know, you’re supposed to make sure you have everything before you start cooking (mise en place). And I did. But what I thought was powdered sugar was actually tapioca flour, so …

You might also like my Banana Sheet Cake and, soon, my Fresh Peach Sheet Cake. Are you for making easy sheet cakes this summer? 

Meyer Lemon Sheet Cake

(Makes 18x13x1-inch half-sheet, 32 servings)

The Cake

4 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/3 cups (10.67 fluid ounces/315 ml) buttermilk, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 dip-and-sweep cups (12.5 ounces/354 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups (12.25 ounces/347 grams) sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 sticks (7 ounces/198 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

Finely grated zest of 3 Meyer lemons

The Frosting

6 tablespoons (3 ounces/85 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 firmly packed cups (12 ounces/340 grams) unsifted powdered sugar
1/16 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons (1.5 fluid ounces/44 ml) fresh Meyer lemon juice

1 Preheat oven to 350F/180C/Gas4. Spray an 18x13x1-inch half-sheet pan with cooking spray; don’t try to make-do with a smaller pan, or the batter will overflow.

2 In medium bowl, lightly combine the eggs, 1/3 cup of the buttermilk and the vanilla extract.

3 In large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; with electric mixer on low speed, mix for 1 minute to blend (it rather takes the place of sifting). Add the softened butter and remaining buttermilk. Mix on low speed until combined. Mix on medium-high speed for 1 1/2 minutes. Beat in the egg mixture in three batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition. Stir in the lemon zest by hand; otherwise, the zest gets all tangled up in the beaters.

4 Pour into prepared pan. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool slightly on wire rack, about 15 minutes, before frosting. While the cake is cooling just a bit, make the frosting.

5 In large mixing bowl, beat softened butter. Gradually beat in confectioner's sugar, then salt, vanilla and lemon juice. With offset spatula, apply thinly to the slightly cooled cake. It will melt a bit into a smooth, shiny glaze. Let cool thoroughly, 3 to 4 hours, before serving.

Jean