Pink Lemonade Bundt Cake

My college roommates and I had a running joke about a bundt cake. We even had a bundt shaped candle we kept on the dining room table. I don't remember how that got started. Anyone? Kristy?

This is a pink lemonade bundt cake. Lemonade because it is lemon cake, and pink because I added food coloring. Yep. Not that exciting, but super delicious! We made this for Valentine's Day and gave slices as gifts to Lincoln's teachers at MDO. We hardly ever use food dye or even purchase many foods with it, but I made an exception in the name of Valentine's Day. And really, the cake only has about 3 drops total...2 for the cake, 1 for the icing. If you make this for any other day of the year, feel free to leave out the food coloring (though, you'll have to change the name to plain old lemonade cake).

Pink Lemonade Bundt Cake
adapted from The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Berenbaum

Ingredients
Cake:
13 Tbsp. unsalted butter (at room temperature)
3 Tbsp. milk
3 eggs
1 tsp pure lemon extract
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest (meyer lemon, if you can get it!)

Syrup:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (again, meyer lemon if you have it!)

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
fresh squeezed lemon juice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter and flour a 6 cup bundt pan (or spray with cooking spray and flour)
1. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix on low until combined.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, milk, lemon extract, and vanilla.
3.  Add the butter and 1/2 the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix on low until all ingredients are moistened. Increase speed to medium and beat for one minute to aerate batter.
4. Add remaining egg mixture in two batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition. Add in food dye, if desired (I used 2 drops).
5. Scrape batter into your bundt pan and smooth surface with a spatula.
6. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Prepare syrup: in a small pan over medium heat, stir the sugar and lemon juice until dissolved.
8. Remove the cake from the pan and poke the still warm cake with a wooden skewer (or similar width wire tester/thermometer). Brush the syrup over the entire cake with a pastry brush (I actually use a paint brush...designated only for cooking, of course!).
9. Allow cake to cool and prepare the icing. Place powdered sugar in a bowl and slowly add the lemon juice until desired consistency is achieved. Add food dye to desired color (I used one drop). Ice cake once cool.

Enjoy!

(Variation: Lemon Poppyseed Bread)