1940s Lemon Blossom Cake is the perfect garden party fare

✯ Day 145 of Vintage 365 ✯

Few colours call to mind spring's glorious beauty like cheerfully pretty sunshine yellow. It's a hue found on everything from baby chicks to daffodils, freshly churned butter to rows of cupped, gorgeous tulips at this fine time of year.
Just as few colours are as redolent of spring as chipper yellow, so too are few flavours better suited to this season as lemon. This immortally timeless fruit has a crisp tanginess that lends itself splendidly to everything from hollandaise sauce to seafood risottos, and which works especially well in desserts.
Think fruit tarts, meringue pies, bar cookies, ice cream and sorbets, even candy (lemon drops, for example) - all can be jazzed up by the inclusion for a little lemon juice, peel, fruit slices, or extract. All of these sweet treats certainly shine when lemon is involved, but we couldn't possible chat about citrus desserts without mentioning lemon cake.
Light, airy-as-a-puffy-cloud layers of white cake paired with lemon frosting is a dish worth of special occasions and everyday meals alike. The recipe below is a vintage gem that sounds positively delicious and well suited to festive spring tables of all sorts.



{This classic and utterly delicious sounding Swans Down Flour Lemon Blossom cake comes by way of Look Homeward, Harlot on Flickr. Click here for a larger version of this appealing citrus cake recipe.}

The moment I first read this lovely Lemon Blossom Cake recipe, I was struck by what a perfect dessert it would make for a garden party table. You could serve it on a plate surrounded by sugared (edible) flowers (such as food grade violets or rose petals) or slices of preserved or candied lemon, generous wedges cut for each of your guests to savour.
If lemon is one of those tastes that you instantly associate with spring or summer too, why not bake up this scrumptious 1950s double layer cake for your next party, bridal/baby shower, or Sunday night dessert?