In the eternal and often epic battle between “cake” and “pie,” I normally come down on the pie side of things. But once in awhile, I come across a cake specimen so good, so moist and delicious, so…well, just so awesome that it makes me rethink my stance. Which is exactly what happened when I took my first bite of lemon bundt cake from The Lemon Cakery. If every cake were as good as this, the world would be a better place.
Baker Endia Veerman comes from the world of interior design, and says she first developed an interest in cooking from watching the Food Network after the birth of her first child. Her family moved around a lot due to her husband’s duties in the United States Air Force, and Veerman found keeping a design business going through the various moves was too much stress—and then a real estate agent friend of hers told her she should start selling the lemon cakes that she had been giving out as Christmas and holiday gifts. I’d like to personally extend that real estate agent a word of thanks.
Veerman has been developing the recipe for her signature lemon cake for around 15 years, working to find just the right balance of lemons to sugar and eggs to oil. The result is a cake that is bold in its lemon flavor without being overly sour—and possessed of a delicate texture, decadent moistness and a wonderful crumb that makes for bite after compelling bite. Fans of cakes with icing will find a lot to love about her glazed products, but for me, the simple powdered-sugar dusted variety is perfection in cake form.
Although Veerman has been steadily building a devoted clientele over the past few years, she says that 2015 has been an especially good and busy year. So good, in fact, that she is currently looking for a brick-and-mortar location in the Heights or Hillcrest neighborhoods to open a retail outlet for The Lemon Cakery. Her desire is to make her place a “must visit destination” in Little Rock, and given how good these cakes are, I have no doubt that she’ll find success.
For now, folks can head over to The Lemon Cakery’s contact page to order cakes, or call 501-350-4225. If you haven’t had a chance to try what Endia Veerman is baking, you need to. And if you already know how good her cakes are, you’re wondering why it’s taken me so long to write about them.