Life has a way of handing out lemons when we least expect it. Ever feel like you’ve been given an entire lemon grove? It’s true, things usually don’t go according to plan. Friends, take a deep breath because we’re all in this together. Let’s remember that our problems and stressors don’t define us and let’s take control of our lemons. Deal with them one at a time and remember to be kind to yourself in the process. Today, I’ve taken both my metaphorical and real lemons not to make lemonade, but instead, this bright and sunny Lemon Bliss Cake with Hibiscus Icing. Such a happy cake.
This Lemon Bliss Cake was King Arthur Flour’s Recipe of the Year last year…and for good reason. It is lovely, easy to make, and so tasty. This cake consists of 3 parts. They are each simple and make for a truly special cake. They consist of a pound cake, a glaze that is applied while the cake is still hot, and an optional icing that is drizzled on top once it has cooled.
The hibiscus icing I used isn’t part of the original recipe, but I had dried hibiscus flowers at home (that I use for tea) and I’ve been itching to use them in a dessert. The color in this icing is 100% natural, colored only by the hibiscus syrup I made by boiling dried hibiscus flowers and water – so lively and pretty. I am including both the recipe for this hibiscus icing and the lemon icing one in the original Lemon Bliss Cake recipe, since I realize most people don’t have dried hibiscus leaves in their pantries. I always have some on hand thanks to my aunt who brings me some every time she visits from Nicaragua. Amazon (since they have everything), has them too. I plan on dedicating a whole post to making hibiscus tea since I love it so much, is as easy as boiling water, and contains tons of health benefits. You could also use ‘Red Zinger’ tea bags, which is made with hibiscus leaves and also produces a pretty, bright red color.
The ingredients in this cake are simple – butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, milk, lemon oil and lemons. I only made two small changes to the original recipe. I used a bit less sugar in both the cake and the glaze and I added a little extra lemon flavor to the cake with a bit of lemon oil. Finely grated lemon zest is used in the batter (this microplane is my all-time favorite tool for grating citrus). You will need about 3 lemons for this recipe. This includes what you need for the cake, the glaze, and the icing.
There’s nothing complicated about this batter. It comes together quickly and then the cake bakes for 45-60 minutes (depending on your oven and the size/color of your bundt pan). Mine took exactly 60 minutes in the pan I used. If your bundt pan is dark, start checking the cake at 45 minutes. I bought this rose pan for myself recently and I love it so much. I was worried about two things at first – the cake sticking when unmolding it and how difficult it would be to clean. It turns out, I had no issues with either one. I used the nonstick cooking spray with flour in it (Pam for Baking or Baker’s Joy) and made sure to spray the bundt pan liberally right before placing the batter in it. It’s best to spray the pan just prior to placing the batter in it because if you let it sit for a while, the spray will slide down and pool at the bottom of the pan leaving the sides too thinly coated. Cleaning was easy because of this pan’s smooth, nonstick coating.
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, it is drizzled with lemon glaze, which is easily made with just lemon juice and sugar. Using a spoon, I added half of the glaze while the cake was still in the pan (before flipping it) and then drizzled the rest on the top of the cake it after inverting it. The glaze makes a huge difference in the end result, even more so than the icing, in my opinion. It gives it lots of bright, tangy flavor, so you won’t want to skip it.
After the cake cooled to room temperature, I glazed it with the hibiscus icing that I made from hibiscus syrup and powdered sugar, but you can use lemon icing instead. The lemon icing is easy too…just 3 ingredients and no mixer needed.
This sunny Lemon Bliss Cake with Hibiscus Icing is sure to brighten your day and remind you that when life give you lemons, there are options other than lemonade. Enjoy!
You might also like:
My Favorite Vanilla Pound Cake
Lemon Bliss Cake with Hibiscus Icing
A bright, tangy, and delicious lemon cake with lemon glaze and hibiscus icing
Lemon Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon oil or 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- zest of 2 lemons, finely grated
Lemon Glaze
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (you will need between 2-3 lemons)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Lemon Icing (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted or whisked
- pinch of salt
- 2-3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Hibiscus syrup & Icing (optional)
- 1/2 cup dried hibiscus flowers (or 2 Red Zinger tea bags)
- 1 cup water
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted or whisked
- 2-3 Tablespoons Hibiscus syrup
Lemon Cake
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Heat oven to 350 degrees
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In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside
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Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy
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Add eggs one at a time, beating well after adding each. Add lemon oil/extract. Beat until incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl.
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Add the flour mixture alternating with the milk (in 4 parts), beginning and ending with the flour. Mix on medium speed just until no flour is visible.
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Using a spatula, fold in lemon zest
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Spray bundt pan liberally with nonstick baking spray. Place the batter in the pan and level the top.
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Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. If your pan is dark, begin checking for doneness at 45 minutes. Make Lemon Glaze while cake is baking.
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As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, drizzle half of lemon glaze over cake while it is still in the pan.
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Gently run a knife between the cake and the pan to loosen. Invert onto cooling rack and drizzle with remaining glaze. Allow to cool to room temperature before icing.
Lemon Glaze
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Place the lemon juice and sugar in a small, microwave safe bowl. Stir and heat for 45 seconds. Stir again and drizzle over warm cake.
Lemon Icing (optional)
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Mix powdered sugar and salt. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and stir. Add more juice as needed to make a thick glaze. Drizzle over cake.
Hibiscus Icing (optional)
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Hibiscus syrup: Place water, dried hibiscus flowers or tea bags, and granulated sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 20 minutes. Strain using a fine mesh strainer. Add lemon juice and stir.
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To make icing, mix powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons hibiscus syrup. Add more syrup as needed to make a thick glaze. Drizzle over cake.
Are hibiscus syrup and hibiscus extract the same thing?
Hi Julissa. Hibiscus syrup is typically sweetened during cooking like a simple syrup. Extract is typically very concentrated and usually not sweetened.
i’m a little confused about the lemon glaze/lemon icing/hibiscus icing situation – i definitely want to make the hibiscus icing, but should i still do the lemon glaze? thank you so much! very excited to make this 🙂
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