Lemon Crunch Cake

Tender, lemony butter cake lies beneath a crisp, crunchy, crackling shell for a delicious contrast in every bite of this cake. We love the contrast between the moist, buttery cake and the crisp, crackling shell in this show stopping lemon dessert. For a quick and easy appetizer, surround feta with lemon zest, artichoke hearts, fresh oregano, and red-pepper flakes, douse the whole lot in olive oil, and heat through. Lemon juice, freshly squeezed and zest are the trick to these flavourful cookies - they're mixed into the batter and whisked into the glaze. Bright lemon zest and plump raisins gussy up these morning treats. Make the baking mix in advance, and you can get them on your brunch buffet table in just 35 minutes. Tender, lemony butter cake lies beneath a crisp, crunchy, crackling shell for a delicious contrast in every bite of this cake.

10 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
2½ cups cake flour, sifted, not self-rising
2 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch coarse sea salt
¾ cup whole milk
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 ⅓ cups Monk Fruit Sweetener with Erythritol (Granular) + ¼ cup for topping
1 lemon, freshly juiced
1 lemon, freshly zested
1 Tbsp. thin strips lemon zest, packed
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 Tbsp. coarse sanding sugar

To Serve:
lightly sweetened whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, Gas Mark 4). Brush an 8x2" square cake pan with butter. Line with parchment, leaving a 2" overhang on all sides; brush parchment with butter and dust with flour, tapping out excess.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Stir together milk and vanilla in another bowl. Beat butter on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add 1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar in a steady stream and beat, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in finely grated lemon zest and juice.

Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with milk mixture; beat until just combined.

In a large bowl, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold half into batter, then fold in remainder. Transfer to prepared pan, smoothing top. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar, julienned lemon zest, and sanding sugar.

Bake until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes. Using parchment, carefully transfer to rack; let cool completely. Slice with a serrated knife, dollop with whipped cream, and serve.

Makes 10 servings.