LEMON CAKE

1¼ cups sifted all purpose flour
1½ cups sifted cake flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1½ cups sugar
⅔ cup vegetable oil
⅓ cup vegetable shortening at room temperature
1 tsp good quality vanilla extract
2 tsp pure lemon extract
3 large eggs
1½ cups Milk
zest of two small or one large lemons, grated and finely chopped





 FROSTING
8 cups powdered sugar
2 cups unsalted butter
1 tsp pure lemon extract
 4 tbsp milk

FOR THE FROSTING: mix together  sugar  and butter until it becomes sort of crumbly.

Add the lemon extract and a little of the milk.

Beat until smooth and fluffy, adding only enough milk to bring the frosting to a creamy spreadable consistency

Fill and frost the cake. 

Instructions For the Cake

1. Grease and flour 2 nine inch round cake pans and line the bottom with 2 circles of parchment paper. Sift together both flours, baking soda. baking powder, salt and sugar, Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the vegetable oil, shortening, vanilla and lemon extract. Beat well at high speed with whisk attachment until light and fluffy
3. Beat the eggs in one at a time.
4. Fold in the lemon zest.
5. Fold in the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk.
6. I always add dry ingredients in three divisions and liquid ingredients in 2 divisions. It is very important to begin and end the additions with the dry ingredients. Do not over mix the batter. As soon as it has no lumps in the batter, pour into the two prepared 9 inch cake pans.
7. Bake at 325 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.