Lemon Buttermilk Sherbet

Hello! I hope you celebrated your mom today. I spent time with several mothers, but not my own, unfortunately (love you, moum!). And I foster animals, so maybe I am also a mom? The point is, Happy Mother's Day. I'm sure yours is a swell lady.

Me and my mom, from when my hair was longer and I had summer freckles. 

So...last time we talked I was about to start Whole30. ...Heh. Here's the lowdown. I stopped after two weeks. I was very proud of myself for eating so responsibly. But I wasn't consuming enough calories to sustain myself. I was getting really dizzy, lethargic, and headachey. So tired all the time. So I added dairy in at first, which made things way better. And now, I'm back to normal again. I came away from it with an awareness of my poor eating habits, and I'm trying to be conscious of my sugar intake. 

My mom, on the other hand, is a total boss. She started Whole30 immediately after I told her about the concept, and stuck with it til the end. I am very proud of her. She's tough. I wish we could hang out and share this delicious and incredibly simple sherbet. It's zingy, sweet, and very refreshing. Just like my mom (congrats on being the first person I have ever described as "zingy")!

Lemon Buttermilk Sherbet
from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

1/3 c water
2/3 c sugar
zest of 1 lemon
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 freshly squeezed lemon juice

In a saucepan, mix water, sugar, and lemon zest. Heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, then chill thoroughly in the fridge. Whisk the buttermilk into the sugar syrup, then whisk in the lemon juice. Freeze in your ice cream maker. 

Lemon Cake

Things that brightened my day today:

- Realtalks™ (just kidding, no trademark)
- Sunlight streaming through the windows
- Spontaneous afternoon naps
- The delightfully inappropriate shenanigans of Deadpool
- Cake for dinner

Adults are allowed to make poor choices like that. Cause maybe I don't feel like cooking, and I had this cake I needed to eat because I spontaneously bought seven lemons at Aldi. This recipe reminds me so much of Ireland. Partially because I have a really joyful post about making lemon curd there, and partially because this cake recipe comes from The Cake Cafe Bake Book (The Cake Cafe being a hidden place in Dublin I spent a whole afternoon trying to find). Makes me feel very wistful and nostalgic. I was so free of responsibilities when I was there. But maybe living in the real world most of the time makes one appreciate those carefree times even more?

This cake is super tasty, but I overcooked mine a bit. I keep forgetting how hot my oven runs. Still good though! I covered mine in whipped cream, but I bet a cream cheese frosting would be really nice. Or a chocolate frosting, because I think lemon and chocolate are an unexpected but wonderful pairing. Also, sorry for the crap pictures. If I don't just snap something on my phone right away, I probably won't take a picture and then I won't post about it.

Lemon Cake 

from The Cake Cafe Bake Book

3 eggs, separated

300 g sugar

50 g room temperature butter

225 g plain yogurt

3 lemon zests

1 T lemon juice 

175 g self raising flour (Or make your own like I did) 

1 t baking powder

Lemon Curd (my recipe linked above is pretty reliable) 

Grease an 8" round pan and preheat the oven to 350. 

Beat butter, sugar, and egg yolks in a bowl until lightened in color and a bit fluffy. Add yogurt, lemon zest, and juice, and mix until smooth, remembering to scrape down the sides of the bowl regularly. Gently fold in flour and baking powder. Whisk egg whites to a soft peak and fold into the mixture. Pour into pan and bake for 60-75 minutes (Mine probably was done at 45, so just watch it. You know your oven). Cool completely, then slice into three disks. Spread lemon curd between two layers, and leave the top un-curded. Frost with whatever you'd like!