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The early first-graders have already had their first day of school! Time for our delicious lemon cake! Today, we’re using this quick recipe to bake a special cake for the school enrollment celebration.
And just like that, summer vacation is over, and the first day of school is right around the corner for the first graders! Excitement has been building up since last year in kindergarten, as they eagerly awaited this big day.
Although school enrollment celebrations are much smaller and more intimate this year compared to last, they are still just as festive and special! To make this milestone even more memorable, a fun and creative school enrollment cake is, of course, a must! 😉
As part of the "Bake Your Favorite Book" Challenge in August, we are collecting delicious cakes and baking ideas on Instagram under the hashtag #backdeinlieblingsbuch, all centered around the theme "ABC Jungle & Other Adventures Around School Enrollment." If you’d like to join the challenge, you can find all the participation details here!
Unique gifts for starting school
Starting school is a very special day in a child’s life!
For this special occasion, we have created unique DIY gifts that come from the heart: encouraging banderoles for Ritter Sport Minis, “You are a schoolchild” Duplo boxes, welcome chocolates at school and much more.
Recipe for Our Quick Lemon Cake
Our lemon cake is perfect for baking with children, as the quick recipe is super easy to prepare and requires very few steps. The hardest task for the little ones will probably be squeezing the lemon! 😉
Other than that, you and your child will have tons of fun decorating this school enrollment cake. Plus, it’s a great way to develop creativity and fine motor skills at the same time!.
Ingredients for a 8-inch Bundt cake
(For a 28 cm baking pan, you only need to double the ingredients)
Dough
- 125 g soft margarine (or butter)
- 100 g sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- 35 ml lemon juice (approx. 2 organic lemons)
- 100 ml milk
- 180 g (spelled) flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Decoration
- Ice cream cones
- Pink cake icing*
- Mini-Marshmallows
- Letter sugar sprinkles*
Baking accessories: 20cm Bundt cake springform pan*, mixing bowl, scales, hand mixer, lemon squeezer, cake rack, kitchen brush, saucepan and a small bowl (for the water bath for the cake icing)
Little tip: We like to bake "small" batches! That's why I bought a 20cm springform pan with two layers (springform pan and Bundt pan). I highly recommend this 2-in-1 baking pan to everyone, as they're both more affordable and take up less space in the kitchen cupboard! So if you don't already own a springform pan or Bundt pan, I recommend the 2-in-1 baking pan. By the way, they are also available in the usual 26 cm baking pan size*!
(*The links marked with an asterisk (*) are affiliate links. I can recommend suitable products that do not cost you more and I receive a small commission that helps me finance my blog. Thank you!)
Preparation
This lemon cake is truly a wonderfully quick recipe. In just 10 minutes, you and your little one will have it ready to bake. However, if you're not a fan of lemon cake, you can of course use any other sponge cake (such as the delicious elderberry syrup cake) into a cake for the first day of school 😉
We bake a quick lemon cake
- Before you start mixing the batter with your Mini, have your kids grease the baking pan. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius (convection).
- Since you'll need lemon juice and lemon zest for the lemon cake, your little one can juice the lemon using the lemon squeezer. Depending on your child's strength, they may need your help squeezing the lemon. The lemon zest should be peeled by you because of the risk of slipping and thus injury, when peeling the lemon with a grater or zester. (But here, too, of course, the rule always applies: You know your child best; if you already trust them, let them use the zester ;) Alternatively, there is always the option of buying organic lemon peel in a packet.)
- Now, beat the margarine in a mixing bowl with a mixer until fluffy and add the sugar. In the next step, stir in each egg one at a time until the dough forms a homogeneous mass.
- Next, the lemon juice and zest are briefly stirred into the dough.
- Next, add the dry ingredients: Combine the flour with the baking powder, then briefly stir half of the flour-baking powder mixture into the batter. To prevent the batter from becoming lumpy, add the milk and mix everything until smooth. Then, add the second half of the flour-baking powder mixture to the batter and mix.
- Now your little one can pour the lemon cake batter into the baking tin and then lick the mixing bowl with relish while you place the cake in the preheated oven to bake.
- Your lemon cake will now bake for approximately 35-40 minutes. Near the end of the baking time, please do the skewer test (the doneness test to check if your lemon cake is cooked through). If no more batter sticks to the wooden skewer, remove the finished lemon cake from the oven and let it cool in the baking pan for 10 minutes before removing it from the baking pan and letting it cool completely on a wire rack.
Our lemon cake becomes a cake for school enrollment
- To turn the lemon cake into a spectacular cake for the first day of school, the sponge cake is covered with the liquid pink cake icing.
- An ice cream cone is placed on one side of the cake as a "school cone." The mini marshmallows are decorated in front of the ice cream cone, as if they had fallen out of the lying school cone.
- The first day of school cake is beautifully sprinkled with the letter-shaped sugar sprinkles. And now the first day of school cake is ready, ready to delight the new schoolchild on their first day of school 😉
A special day with a special cake!
Iwish you and your little one lots of fun baking and a very special first day of school!
Yours, Lia
Have you baked the recipe?
How exciting! We're really happy about that! We are pleased that we were able to delight you with our recipe. Feel free to share your treat with us on Instagram using the hashtag #backenmitminis.
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First day of school – gift ideas for the first day of school or the school cone
Are you still looking for small gift ideas for the school cone? Or a small gift for the 1st grader? I have summarized our gift ideas for starting school here. There is sure to be something for your little one!
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