All Things Lemon Class a Sunny Success
Saturday’s All Things Lemon class, with 10 eager participants, is a resounding success. It is the perfect time to celebrate citrus season here in Phoenix, Arizona. You cannot beat the quality and freshness of picking a lemon, orange, grapefruit, tangelo or tangerine right from the tree. This class is an opportunity to gather and learn, meet new friends, and taste fresh recipes.
Making and Baking
We start in the kitchen, with our first recipe, an easy Meyer lemon tart. We learn how to blind bake a sweet pastry crust and whirl all the filling ingredients in a blender.
Adding a dusting of confectioner’s sugar, thin lemon slices, fresh berries and mint sprigs dresses up this dessert for company.
Typically, I make most of our cakes from scratch, but I realize that store-bought cake mixes makes life easier. The next recipe (thank you, Chloe!), Limoncello Bundt cake is made with both a white cake mix and an instant lemon pudding. With only 15 minutes to prepare, this recipe is a stunner.
While things are baking in the oven, we head out to the back porch. It is a beautiful, moderate day and we use the outdoor table to make preserved lemons.
The preserved lemon recipe I have shared before and you can find it in detail in this previous post. We have fun smushing the lemons into a jar, adding fresh lemon juice and spices.
Participants are given instructions on shaking the jar for the next 2 to 3 weeks until the lemons are preserved. Additional recipes for using preserved lemons is also provided, including my favorite pasta one.
Making Limoncello
Next up is making limoncello from scratch. Since this recipe takes a few weeks of macerating the lemon rinds in Everclear, I make it ahead of time to maximize our time in class. Providing each attendee with their own simple syrup, they can adjust the sweetness according to their own tastes.
Is limoncello better with Everclear or vodka? Everclear is a good choice because when mixed with simple sugar, it dilutes to the correct alcohol ratio of 28-32%. Vodka is a bad choice because it will lower the alcohol ratio to about 14-18% which is less than the traditional Limoncello.
In addition to traditional limoncello, I make Meyer lemon Limoncello, again a few weeks ahead of time. Providing some sips, some participants prefer it to the original limoncello.
The class concludes with taste testing the lemon tart, limoncello bundt cake and of course, limoncello. New friendships are made and everyone goes home with their bag of goodies.
Recommended Supplies
Recommendations are made regarding supplies: lemon squeezer, zester, bundt and tart pans.
The bundt pan I use for the limoncello cake I find at a local thrift store for $6.00. However, you can also find many sizes and styles online. Here’s one made by Wilton and is carbon steel now 25% off for $13.99 with 4.8 rating with over 15,000 reviews.
The best pan for the easy lemon tart is one with a removable base and a fluted edge. I made this tart in both a removable base pan and a springform pan. Clearly, the removable base tart pan works best.
As I conduct classes here at Bella Terra, I am learning so much. In researching different varieties of lemons, I discover that most store bought lemons are treated with a wax coating to protect them while shipping and to make them more visually appealing (shiny).
The wax is either beeswax (which isn’t too bad) but another is petroleum-based. So if you are using the rinds of store bought lemons, soak the lemons first in hot water and watch the wax rise to the surface. The thought of zesting wax in your recipes is a bit yucky.
I want to thank all those who donated freshly picked lemons to this class ~Sandy, Anne, Tevia, Dawn, and Steve. You are very generous! I am also very grateful to those who signed up for this class. We did have fun!
Easy Limoncello Bundt Cake
Equipment
- 1 bundt cake pan 10 to 12 cups
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 Box white cake mix
- 1 small pkg instant lemon pudding
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetabe oil (we use canola oil)
- 1/2 cup limoncello
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup milk whole or 2%
- juice and zest from one lemon approximately 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 TBSP lemon extract
For the Glaze
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 3 TBSP water
- 1/3 cup limoncello
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
- Grease and flour a 10 or 12 cup bundt pan
- Zest and squeeze the juice from one lemon (approx. 1/4 cup). Set aside.
- Sift the cake mix into your mixing bowl. Add the flour, lemon pudding mix, and sugar and combine.
- Add all of the other ingredients to the bowl: zest and juice one lemon, vegetable oil, sour cream, eggs, Limoncello, lemon extract and milk.
- Mix at low speed for about 10 seconds to incorporate before increasing to medium speed for two minutes.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer or toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. During the last 15 minutes of baking, make the glaze.
Glaze Instructions
- In a saucepan, stir the glaze ingredients (sugar, butter, water, limoncello) over low heat until butter has melted. Raise the heat to medium heat, stirring constantly until it begins to boil. (Be careful-it may boil over if you are not stirring). Boil for 3 minutes and remove from heat.
- This glaze will be poured over the cake just after the baked cake is pulled from the oven and still in the pan. Pour the warm glaze over the cake (still in pan) and let it sit for 15 minutes to absorb.
- After 15 minutes has passed, when the glaze has been absorbed, place your cake plate/pedestal upside down against the cake pan and then flip it all as one so that the cake plate is now right side up with the inverted pan on top. Removethe cake pan to reveal your cake.
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What a fun day! I love all things lemon and will definitely have to try your recipes. Thanks so much for sharing!
Kim, I am making the bundt cake recipe today as my family keeps asking for it again! Thanks for checking in and let me know if you make any of the recipes.
This looks like such a fun way to spend the day! I can’t wait to try the lemon bundt cake, Mary! Thank you for sharing it with us!
Kim, I am making another one today. Let me know if you try it….truly a winner!
Mmmmmmm! That bundt cake is calling my name! 🙂 Thanks for the recipe and the class overview. I loved your lemon outfit and the beautiful Bella Terra aprons too!
Barbara, who knew when I bought the lemon blouse from Talbots that it would come in handy? Ha! Yes, my sweet sister embroidered all the aprons…lucky me. Happy weekend.
Oh Mary! I think you do teach the coolest classes! This one looks amazing. My hubs hardly touches desserts but he doesn’t love lemon ones. I will have to try your recipes.
I adore your lemony outfit too. Well done, ma’am. Sure wish I lived closer to you. Maybe one of these days I can just travel to you from Ohio. I love that area and it is so worth the trip to be able to take one of your classes. Hope you always continue them! I know they are very hard work – but you sure spread the love!!!!
Michele, do come to Arizona! If you ever need a place to stay let me know as we have plenty of room..seriously. Yes, my Talbot lemon blouse that I bought a long time ago, was put to good use! Thank you for your sweet comments and I hope a trip to the Valley of the Sun is in your future.
Wow Mary, such BEAUTIFUL creations! I love how you found your stunning cake pan. Your lemon tart is so pretty and the limoncello would really be a treat! It was fun seeing you in the pictures with your cute new haircut too. Wish we lived closer…but as you mentioned, it would be lovely to attend a class and leave the cold and snow and ice and wind behind for a few days❣ Thanks for sharing, made such a lovely post and pretend get away!
Sue, you are so sweet! I was actually at the thrift store looking for inexpensive tea cups for my bird feeder DIY and spotted this very nice bundt pan. Thrift stores are such a great resource to find good cookware because now all the newer things are lightweight aluminum. I try to keep away from aluminum things, just for health reasons. Let me know if you make the bundt cake-so moist and tasty and pretty with the limoncello glaze!
I love seeing the results of your “All Things Lemon” class! I’m sorry I wasn’t able to attend but hopefully you will repeat this class sometime. Thanks, Mary, for all the tips and the cake recipe!
Nancy, I’m sorry you were not able to attend. I am considering a few other classes-maybe bread or pie making in April or May.Will definitely make sure you get an invitation!
Looks like such a great class Mary, I hope to attend someday!
What a fun class! I live in Canada or I would sign up! Is a recipe for the lemon tart forthcoming? Thanks!
Patti, coming to Phoenix in the winter would be a wonderful trip for you!! Will reach out regarding the lemon tart.