It's going to be all right!

The very very worst that could happen is that it all turns into mush. IF that unlikely thing should happen, put it in a bowl add a few nuts and dried fruit bits, or sliced strawberries, and a couple dollops of thick cream (whipped cream, clotted cream, creme anglaise, creme fraiche, whatever you have) or pastry custard or some thin jam or some more lemon syrup, and stir it all up. Pack it into a pretty dish and make pretty spatula marks on top. Call it a Texas Trifle or something. :)

That probably won't be at all necessary. It's just a plan for the worst case.

Normally, the syrup soaks the cake and the excess comes out the bottom making a sticky mess that the crumbs stick to. Paper doilies cover a lot of issues. :) Why not hold back the remaining third of the syrup and do another round tomorrow. Or serve it on the side.

Then take a deep breath and remind yourself that it's just cake. If it's moosh it'll still be delicious. It's just cake! My friend is worried about whom her mother is going to poison with a turkey that was defrosted at room temp, and brined at room temp in orange juice. She has a ham. She's not letting the children eat the turkey, and hoping to make her mom cook it to a higher than barely killed the bacteria temperature.

You, my dear, have cake. Delicious, refreshing lemony cake. With lemon syrup making it that much deliciouser. And just the immediates, so I hope that means no one judgmental. Yummy, delicious lemon cake from the queen of yummy deliciousness. It's going to be scrumptious. Just don't let the kids lick the plate while the cake is still sitting on it and everything will be just fine!

Merry Christmas!

My bet is that not much syrup soaked in because the cake was so moist. I generally let a cake dry out before putting syrup on it. It will make no difference. The cake should still be moist and tasty.

I just have to say this -

plllog, what an awesome amazing answer!

This is my first time here and I'm so glad I read this post and your kind and considerate reply . . . it has made my whole day (evening)!

And I'm sure bbstx will feel an abundance of encouragement in her cake endeavor.

Thank you so much and Merry Christmas

Susie

HA! Plllog, your encouragement was delightful. Thank you very much. I had thought about doing a "Jullia Child" and putting it in compotes if it is an undesirable texture for cake. (Just between us chickens, I like some things so soaked in sauce, they've turned to mush, e.g. the vanilla wafers in banana pudding.) Your suggested embellishments will raise it from looking like a disaster to looking intentional!

And the biggest critic of all time, Mom, will be there.

That is so funny about your friend's mother. Is she Ruth Riechl's sister? Reichel referred to her mom as a serial food-poisoner.

Marcolo, I couldn't tell if the drips on the pan under the rack were from excess sauce running out of the cake, or if it were just what had run off the cake. I could not pick it up off the wire rack. It was stuck, either because of the sweet syrup or just because cakes some times do that.

Susieqsie, hang around. These guys are good! And kind! And willing to share a vast store of knowledge.

Merry Christmas to all!

It worked! The cake was fantastic, and not the mushy mess I had envisioned. It was moist, dense, and perfectly lemony. Everyone loved it.

I made but did not use the glaze. I mentioned last year or the year before that I was having trouble with the taste of confectioners sugar. I have tried 2 brands, Domino and Kroger, and they both have an odd off-taste. Unfortunately, the lemon in the glaze didn't overcome the taste of the confectioners sugar. Maybe the confectioners sugar is ok. Perhaps I just don't like it. Should confectioners sugar have the same taste as granulated sugar?

Thanks again for the Christmas Adam hand-holding!

This post was edited by bbstx on Mon, Dec 29, 14 at 23:03

Oh, fantastic news!! I've been hoping for the report. I hope your mom liked it, too. ;)

Re confectioner's sugar, you may be tasting the cornstarch. If you look, you should be able to find powdered sugar that's just pure sugar. King Arthur sells "glazing sugar" that fits the bill. It's often easier to find it in grocery stores around Passover time since most don't use corn during Passover.

I'm thinking it's humid where you live? If so, I recommend a very good, very airtight container, some silica crystal packets and maybe a sugar bear or two (or broken terra cotta flower pot). Plus, you might have to sift it.

Another possibility is that it could be beet sugar, but I've never met anyone who could tell the difference from taste. I only just learned about the difference in baking since I've always used C&H cane sugar, which is the local sugar brand. But both the 6X and 10X Domino on Amazon say pure can sugar, so I don't think that's it.

I would have said it was the texture, because other than the cornstarch, it's the same sugar as regular granulated, just pulverized. Since you could still taste it in the glaze, however, I don't think that's it. Unless? Have you eaten other glazes that you liked? Because of a bunch of stuff about texture and molecules that I forget, powdered sugar can actually taste bitter, but it just tastes like simple syrup when wet (i.e., like sweet glaze).

You might try the glazing sugar and see if the lack of cornstarch makes the difference.

I'm certain that your cake is going to taste great! Just for comparison sake, I looked up a successful recipe that I used to make that also was soaked in a lemon glaze. I am posting the recipe for the instructions at the bottom. "Wrap in aluminum foil and freeze for 24 hours." It's probably not necessary to keep it frozen for that amount of time, but it might help with the absorption of the glaze.

MIRIAMS' LEMON CAKE

1 Box Duncan Hines Lemon Cake
3/4 Cup Water
3/4 Cup Oil
1 Box Lemon Jello
4 Eggs

Combine above ingredients.

Beat for 4-5 minutes.

Grease & flour Bundt Pan.

Bake for 50-55 minutes @350 degrees.

Allow cake to cool slightly and remove from pan.

Poke 40-50 holes in top & sides of cake with long toothpick.

Glaze: 1/3 Cup Fresh/Bottled Lemon Juice
2/3 Cup Powdered Sugar

Mix well. Brush into top and sides of cake.

Wrap well in tin foil & freeze for at least 24 hours.

I don't think it is a texture issue. Except for water chestnuts, I don't have problems with texture. It is a smell and taste issue. I don't know that it is bitter as much as it just isn't sugary. It is just "off." Thanks for the tip about King Arthur glazing sugar. .

I got a promotion from KA yesterday that shipping was 12 cents on purchases of $30 or more. I just ordered the glazing sugar and a bottle of vanilla!

Compumom, thanks for the tips. I know I didn't poke 40-50 holes in the cake. I used a skewer and probably only poked 10. One reviewer of the recipe said she had used a wooden spoon handle to poke holes in the cake! I can't imagine holes that big.

Hm... Yes, but part of it is that granulated sugar kind of melts on your tongue whereas powdered sugar goes right to melted. The sensation is very different, and so is the perception of sweetness. In a glaze, however, where it's dissolved and air hardened, it should taste sugary.

Sprinkled on French toast (which I personally find obnoxious), or some similar use of powdered sugar plain, should lend a sensation of sweetness without the sugary-ness that non-melted granulated has, such as when it's coating a berry (also obnoxious, but some people can't bear a sour berry).

I'll be interested to hear if you find the glazing sugar more palatable than confectioner's!

I use Imperial powdered sugar and try not to buy other brands. I have noticed a difference in flavor when I've bought others but could not tell you why. Maybe it is the beet source. Imperial uses cane -- but pllog says Domino does also. Dunno, but you aren't the only one. Let me know what you think of the KA's glazing sugar.

lascatx, Podunk Corners, where I live, only has 2 groceries and a Walmart. I don't believe I've ever seen Imperial in any of them, but I'll keep my eyes peeled.

plllog, count me in the sugared-berries camp. I have had strawberries that were only hours from the field that were sweet and delicious. But, generally, the strawberries in the store have lost their sweetness. I also think part of it is how you were raised. Mom always sugared any berries we had. Except for lemon, I'm not a fan of tart things.

With the holidays, I'm sure it will be next week before the glazing sugar arrives. I'll have to make another lemon cake and test it out!