Spring Mint and Lemon Cake With Lemon Drizzle

This is my all-time FAVORITE springtime dessert. It is so easy to make. It is so good. It is perfect during the warmer months. It is full of mint and lemon flavor, yet it is so dense and delicate. It is out of this world delicious.

Let me share with you how I make it:

INGREDIENTS:

3 Eggs – Separated- Room temp
1 C. Sugar – divided
1/4 Avocado Oil – or other neutral oil
1/4 Tsp. Fine Salt
1/2 C. Mint- Finely chopped
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp Vanilla extract or vanilla paste
1 C. All-Purpose Flour

GLAZE:

1 C. Powdered Sugar
1/2 Tsp. Salt
Juice of 1 lemon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350*. Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan and place a parchment paper circle in the bottom. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, add the egg whites and beat to soft peaks with an electric handheld mixer. Once the egg whites have reached soft peaks, slowly start adding in 1/2 cup of sugar. Beat until the egg whites reach stiff peaks. Set aside.
3. In another large bowl, add the oil, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Beat with a hand-held mixer to combine well. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time until well combined. Add in the mint, lemon juice, vanilla, and lemon zest. Mix to incorporate. Add the flour and mix until just combined. It will be very thick. Don’t worry.
4. To the mint mixture, add in 1/2 of the egg whites and gently fold the egg whites into the mint mixture. Be patient, it will come together. Add the other 1/2 of the egg whites and gently fold them into the mint mixture until there are no more streaks of egg whites. Just be careful not to deflate the egg whites. This is what will give the cake its rise.
5. Once you have folded the egg whites into the mint mixture, you can pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Gently level off the top.
6. Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Once the cake has cooled, you can run a butter knife or an offset spatula along the edges to loosen them. Place a plate on the top of the cake and gently flip the cake onto the plate. Know place your cake stand or cake plate on the cake and gently flip the cake right side up. Do not be alarmed if the cake top is all crackly. It is supposed to do that. It’s the cake’s character.
8. Now you can mix up the glaze. In a small bowl, you can add the powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, and the juice of 1 lemon. Whisk together until well combined. The glaze will be thin and runny. At this point, you can pour the glaze into a squeeze bottle or just a small bowl with a lid.
9. Cut a slice of cake and drizzle the glaze over the top, and enjoy!

• This is my all-time favorite cake. I have made it for years. And it is verstile. If you don’t like mint, add in a cup of fresh raspberries instead. I do this on occasion, and it is so good. It also works well with fresh blueberries. Just remember to dust the berries with a bit of flour before gently folding them into the batter, and then pour the batter into the cake pan. If you don’t dust the berries with flour, the berries will just sink to the bottom of the cake.
• I have also substituted the neutral oil with coconut oil, and it adds just a slight coconut flavor to the cake. It is an option if you want to try it.
• If you don’t like mint, then you are not going to like this cake. Like I said, you can swap the mint for berries if you like. As for this cake in particular, it is an amazing cake, and I make it every single year, nearly all summer, because I have an abundance of mint, and this is just one way I use up my mint.
• Enjoy!