A Lighter Lemon Cake

A LIGHTER LEMON CAKE

I love a good lemon cake. For this lighter version, I’ve lightened it up by substituting applesauce in place of oil and reduced the amount of lemon gelatin. Hope you like this refreshing summer cake.

Pam for misting the plan; flour for dusting the pan
1 large or 2 small lemons
1 package plain yellow or vanilla cake mix
About 3 tablespoons (half of a 3 ounce package) lemon gelatin
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2/3 cup hot water
4 large eggs
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Lightly mist a Bundt pan with vegetable spray. Dust with flour and then shake out excess flour.
From the lemons, grate 2 teaspoons of lemon zest. Place 1 teaspoon of zest in a large mixing bowl for the cake and set aside the other 1 teaspoon for the glaze. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice, setting aside 1½ tablespoons of lemon juice for the glaze. Pour any remaining juice into the large mixing bowl with the zest.
Combine the cake mix, lemon gelatin, applesauce, hot water, and eggs in the bowl with the juice and zest and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are mixed – about 1 minute. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides. Increase the speed of the mixer to medium and beat until the batter is smooth – about 2 minutes. Pour batter into the Bundt pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula.
Bake the cake until it is light brown and just starts to pull away from the sides of the top – about 38-42 minutes. Transfer the Bundt pan onto a wire rack and let cool for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the glaze. Combine the confectioners’ sugar, reserved lemon juice, and reserved lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth.
Run a long, sharp knife around the edges of the cake. Shake the pan gently and invert the cake onto a cake plate. Spoon the glaze evenly over the warm cake to that it drizzles down the side and into the center. Slice the cake and serve it warm or let it cool before slicing.