Not all cakes are round or rectangular.  Sometimes, they’re square.

(I suppose the whole notion of making cakes from “scratch” is kind of “square” but that would be a different blog post.)

To make a square cake, you can use a rectangular pan and lop off a chunk, or you make it in a square cake pan, like the one I recently purchased at a little kitchen goods store in Freeport.  The green labeling caught my eye.  It was “natural commercial bakeware” and best of all it was “Made in the U.S.A” by some Minnesota Vikings.

Probably what sold me on the cake pan, besides the fact that I did not own one, was the cake picture on the label.  A yellow cake with icing drizzled over it and topped with a paper-thin slice of lemon.  The recipe was on the back of the label.

I studied the recipe for a few days, comparing it to ones in my bedside cake bible, 250 Classic Cake Recipes.  The recipe called for only 2 eggs and consisted of a single layer.  Cakes like that were classified as “Budget Cakes” in the cake bible.  It’s a good thing I’m not announcing these cake salons on Facebook; can you imagine the comments from non-cake baking types when I posted a picture and said it was a budget cake?

It was a firm and moist cake, not crumbly at all.  It was easy to make and I could imagine it being part of a summer citrus trifle or even speared for fondue dipping.  The lemon icing couldn’t have been sunnier, with a wispy promise of spring in its tang.  I’ll make it again, with a few adjustments to make the recipe my own.  But I’m going to call it an “every day cake,” or as Helen called it “Le Gâteau de Citron.”

(I got the Motel Four stamp of approval when I delivered a Lenten-sized portion.)

It’s a little cake that sings a tart and sweet song.  The picture doesn’t do it justice, really, and yes, that’s probably my finger print on the cake plate for those of you who examine these images closely.

Speaking of music and songs, MPBN’s morning classical music hostess Robin Rilette announced a number of interesting musical performances happening around the local area this week.  Tonight at the Olin Arts Center Concert Hall at Bates College in Lewiston, the Dutch Baroque ensemble Musica ad Rhenum will perform an all-Bach concert.

This concert will be a good warm-up for Sunday afternoon’s Bach birthday celebration in Brunswick at St. John’s church.

And next week, the LARK Society will present their wonderfully engaging “What is Chamber Music” class at select locations.  I’m so happy to see this class still being presented; I took it at the turn of the century and it enhanced my love and appreciation of chamber music.

I’m not sure if they’ll be serving “Le Gâteau de Citron” after any of these performances, but the music will be feast enough.

Get out and go!  Tweeting is for birds!