Mary's Lemon Cake Repeated for 4th of July tradition!

I'm laughing trying to figure out how to be interesting this week.

NOTHING COMES TO MIND, LOL!

I'm not even close to cooking, it's a crazy time of year because our schools just ended last week (we're late every year) and this is 4th of July week so each day I have a different crew of sweet kids here.... so the idea of continuity or planning is null and void!

So because this is 4th of July, I'm going to repeat "Mary's Lemon Cake" a cake that still means a great deal to our whole family. We always make it for family picnics/get togethers. It's a tradition, it's easy and everyone loves it! So here it is as published August 9, 2012:


I looked and didn't see this summertime favorite but that could be for numerous reasons:

A.  I forget to label things!

B.  I forget to label things!

And/or:

C.  I forget to label things, LOL!

But this recipe is an old favorite. It's one of the few things my mother made after I was old enough to remember. By the time I was seven or eight, her alcoholism and depression had taken over and it wasn't until I was in my mid-thirties that I got to meet my mother sober. What a joyous thing that was!  Sure, there was a lot of water under the bridge, but I had God with me, all the time. Remember that song, Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel?  That song spoke to me in so many ways of God's redeeming love and protection.

This cake is tart/sweet, it's moist and tender, it's a perfect 'pick up a slice and eat' kind of picnic offering. I don't know where it originated (probably McCall's magazine or something like that) but it's a huge crowd pleaser whenever our family gets together. And yes...

It's Easy-Peasy!  :)

Ingredients:

1 yellow cake mix
1 large package lemon Jello
4 eggs (I'm using my fresh eggs from the chicken coop!!!)
3/4 cup oil
1 cup water

Mix together. Beat on medium speed for 4 minutes.

Pour into greased and floured 13" x 9" pan....

Bake at 350 degrees (moderate oven) until cake is done. Cake is done when it springs back when lightly touched in middle OR when you insert a toothpick into the middle and all that clings to it are a few moist crumbs. To tell that you really must withdraw the toothpick from the cake. I may or may not have forgotten to mention that!  ;)

Cool 5 minutes. Or six or seven. Prick cake with wide-pronged meat fork... Prick thoroughly.

Each hole you make provides a channel of glazing deliciousness.

Make glaze:

3 cup 10 X sugar (can you tell this is an old recipe????)  Powdered sugar was often referred to as "10X" or Confectioner's sugar to make the distinction between that and normal grind sugar.
3/4 cup Lemon Juice
Whisk sugar and lemon juice together. Slowly drizzle over cake, allowing liquid to seep into all those precious little holes you made.

Amazingly delicious cold, warm or at room temperature. Seriously, sitting down and eating the ENTIRE THING is never a bad idea. You can always make more, right?

And there you have it, a Herne/Blodgett standby, an old favorite that's melt-in-your-mouth perfect for eating on a plate or out of hand! DELICIOUS and wonderful for 4th of July picnic spreads!