Lemon cake is a subtly sweet dessert that adds a nice finishing touch to a dinner because it is not heavy. The ingredients in lemon cake include butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, vanilla extract, lemon rind, lemon juice, salt and powdered sugar, which is used to make the icing. Powdered sugar icing adds to this cake's sweetness, so you may want to eliminate the icing if you are trying to cut down on calories or sugar intake. One 35 g slice of lemon cake contains 165 calories, 60 of which are from fat.
Butter
The cup of unsalted butter in lemon cake supplies you with minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese, fluoride and selenium, and butter is a good source of vitamin A. Other vitamins in butter include thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, B6, folate, choline, B12 and vitamins E, D and K. Butter is high in saturated fat and cholesterol, and it contains some monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes recommends limiting foods that contain high amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol because these fats are bad for your heart.
Sugar
Lemon cake batter contains at least one cup of sugar. Granulated sugar is used in the batter, and confectioners' sugar is used in the icing. These sugars make lemon cake high in its sugar content, adding calories that are of little nutritional value. One cup of granulated sugar contains small amounts of calcium, iron, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, thiamine and riboflavin. With the exception of thiamine, powered sugar contains these vitamins and minerals as well. Sugar does not contain fat.
Eggs
The four raw eggs that are added to lemon cake supply you with calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorous, potassium and zinc. Eggs also contain folate, choline and vitamin A. They contain saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, and it is a well known fact eggs are high in cholesterol. Eggs add a significant amount of protein to lemon cake, and 18 amino acids.
Flour
The all-purpose unbleached flour added to lemon cake contain thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, folate, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin B-6, vitamin E, vitamin K, lutein and zeaxanthin. There is a small amount of fat in flour and no cholesterol. White flour is refined, a process that decreases the amount of healthy nutrients flour contains. White flour should be limited to make room for more nutritious whole grains. Like eggs, flour contains all 18 amino acids. Flour is a source of carbohydrates.
Additional Ingredients
Vanilla extract adds additional potassium to lemon cake. One teaspoon of this flavoring contains 6 mg of potassium. It also contains 1.4 g of ethyl alcohol. The ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice in lemon cake adds 23.6 mg of vitamin C to this cake. Grated lemon rind contributes additional vitamin C. Two teaspoons of baking powder are an ingredient in lemon cake, which adds 540 mg of calcium, 202 mg of phosphorus and 976 mg of sodium.
References
- Stillwater Rutherford Elementary School: Lemon Cake
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
- Livestrong.com: Lemon Cake
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: Do You Know Your Cholesterol Levels?
- Health.gov: Fats, Added Sugars, and Salt
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Carbohydrates
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