Crunchy Lemon Syrup Cake

This cake has been a reliable crowd-pleader for the last twenty years of my life. At home, I often requested it for birthdays or special occasions until I took it upon myself to start baking it when so desired. The recipe comes from the Crab tree & Evelyn Cookbook

, which my mother acquired back when it was first published in 1989, and is the only recipe from the volume I've ever sampled.
If you're in the need of a light, simple cake to celebrate or dream of summer days, I recommend this heartily. The crunchy glaze of lemon juice and sugar is applied when the cake comes out of the oven. Add a dollop of whipped cream (made with 1 tsp of lemon zest) and a handful of fresh raspberries, and your guests will be asking for seconds (and thirds).

Crunchy Lemon Syrup Cake

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

Pinch salt

4 Tbs unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1 large egg (or 2 small eggs)

1/3 cup buttermilk or sour milk

1 Tbs freshly grated lemon zest

Lemon crunch topping:

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer or by hand until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat at high speed for 1 minute or vigorously by hand. Alternately add buttermilk and flour mixture in three additions, with mixer at low speed or stirring by hand. Stir in lemon zest. Turn batter into a buttered and floured 8-inch spring form, smoothing the top of batter with a spatula. Bake in the center of oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Before cake is finished baking, in a small bowl combine sugar and lemon juice until it forms coarse crumbs. Spoon this crunchy topping evenly over cake as it comes out of the oven. Set cake, in its pan, on a wire rack to cool. 6-8 servings.