tonight's dessert - lemon upside down cake

recipe no. 2 from my recent lemon cookbook purchase is this lemon upside down cake. fairly easy to make, the only real hard step is folding in whipped eggwhites to give the cake some lift.

i am bringing this to a dinner i was invited to tonight by some client/new friends of mine. i'll let you know how it tastes after i return.

upon my return: it is a very good cake, not overly dense, full of lemon flavor. and here is the recipe

Lemon Upside-Down Cake

from Luscious Lemon Desserts, by Lori Longbotham

5 medium lemons (2 for slicing and 3 for the grated lemon rind)

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

2 large eggs, separated

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F.

Trim the ends from the lemons and cut the fruit into slices 1/8 inch thick with a very sharp knife or a mandoline. Discard any seeds.

Melt 1/4 cup of the butter with the brown sugar in an ovenproof, non-stick 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the lemon slices, increase the heat to high, and boil, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and arrange the sliced in an orderly pattern in the bottom of the skillet.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl.

Beat the remaining 1/2 cup of butter with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the granulated sugar and zest and beat, scraping down the side of the bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat just until blended. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture alternatively with the milk, scraping down the side of the bowl after each addition and beating just until blended.

Beat the egg whites with clean beaters on medium speed in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Add one quarter of the whites to the batter and fold in using a whisk or a rubber spatula. Continue to gently fold in the whites, one quarter at a time, being careful no to overmix.

Pour the batter over the lemon slices and gently smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Loosen the edges of the cake with a rubber spatula all around, invert it onto a heat-proof serving platter, and leave the pan over the cake for 5 minutes. Remove the pan and serve the cake warm, cut into wedges.