Lemon Buttermilk Cake

We had a special surprise arrive last Friday ~ our baby decided to arrive a little early!  Naturally, when there is a birthday, there must be a birthday cake.  This Lemon Buttermilk Cake is quick and easy enough for a sleepy mama to whip together in minutes.  It's not only simple to make, but the lemon cake is perfectly lemon-y, refreshing and delicious.  To dress it up, I added a simple lemon buttermilk glaze to drizzle over the loaf, with some extra to drizzle on the slices.  This cake is so good as-is, but the glaze adds a little something that makes it feel extra special.  Adam could not get enough of the baby's birthday cake, and I discovered that despite not being a frosting person, he loves glaze.  Who can blame him!

Now to the baby details!  We had a baby girl named Greta Rose.  She is an easy baby so far and super sweet.  Seems fitting I guess, because the same could be said about Lemon Buttermilk Cake! :)

Lemon Buttermilk Cake
Yields 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup buttermilk, well-shaken
2 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon zest (finely grated, approx 2 lemons)
1/4 cup lemon juice (approx 1 1/2 lemons)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray

GLAZE:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 to 2 tablespoon(s) buttermilk, well-shaken


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 8"x4" loaf pan with baking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.  
3. In a medium bowl, add the sugar, oil, buttermilk, eggs, zest, juice and vanilla and whisk to combine.
4. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and whisk to combine.  Pour into prepared loaf pan.
5. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Let cool in pan for 15 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. To prepare glaze, in a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, lemon juice and buttermilk until well-blended.  Drizzle over cooled cake, as desired.

Sources: Real Simple for the cake, Cooking Light for the glaze