This easy Moroccan Lemon Cake (meskouta) is light, fine-textured and flavorful. One half of a large lemon should yield the small amount of fresh lemon juice called for in the recipe, but you can add more if you like tarter flavor.
Follow the conventional measures or try using the Moroccan method of measuring with bowls and tea glasses. Keep in mind that one tea glass usually holds 4 to 6 ounces of liquid.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
- ----- Conventional Measures -----
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- zest from 1 or 2 lemons
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ----- Traditional Moroccan Measures -----
- 4 eggs
- 1 level soup bowl of sugar
- 1 tea glass of vegetable oil
- 1 heaping soup bowl of flour
- 2 sachets of baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 tea glass milk
- 1/4 tea glass fresh lemon juice
- zest from 1 or 2 lemons
- 1 sachet of vanilla sugar
Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 350° F (180° C). Grease and flour a small bundt or tube pan. Zest and juice your lemon.
With an electric mixer or by hand, beat together the eggs and sugar until thick. Gradually beat in the oil.
Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt, and then the milk. Beat until smooth, and then mix in the lemon juice, zest and vanilla.
Pour the batter into your prepared pan, and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cake tests done.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 7 to 10 minutes. Loosen the cake from the sides of the pan with a spatula, and turn out the cake onto a rack to finish cooling.
