Gondhoraj Lemon Tea Cake

Gondhoraj Lebu – a distant cousin of the famous kaffir lime, is a citrus fruit native to tropical Asia, including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The first time I tasted the lemon it was a blast of one-of-a-kind citrusy fragrance that transports your senses to another world. From being used as an accompaniment to dal and rice or to complimenting the world-famous Phuchka, Gondhoraj Lebu, is Eastern India’s best kept secret.

I decided to experiment with this coveted lime and use it in my favourite butter tea cake recipe. This cake is full of flavour, perfectly crumbly, but also moist. The butter and the unique citrus fragrance perfectly complement each other.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

• 3 tablespoon freshly-squeezed gondhoraj lemon juice

• 100 grams unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 3 eggs

• ¼ cup buttermilk

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• Zest of one lemon

Glaze:

• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

• Grease an 8-inch-cake pan.

• In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).

• Add the eggs, buttermilk and lemon juice and beat for 3 more minutes.

• Add flour, baking powder and cornflour to the butter mixture and combine.

• Add the lemon zest, and mix again to combine.

• Pour into the prepared pan.

• Bake until the cake springs back when lightly pressed, about 30 minutes or check using the toothpick trick.

• For the glaze: In a pot, heat and combine the confectioner's sugar, lemon juice and mix well.

• Mix until thoroughly incorporated.

• Let it cool down and Pour over the cake after it has reached room temperature.