Years ago, I was an avid blogger.

I had a network of talented bakers that I interacted with regularly, was part of baking circles and recipe swaps, and eagerly combed through various websites on a constant basis every morning. I loved blogging, and I’m thankful for what it brought into my life. Like the chance to make some new virtual friends and occasionally write a recipe for their wildly successful blogs.

I still bake, constantly, but I don’t have the same verve for blogging I had in the past. My time is filled with writing for clients, which requires more focus and a targeted list of goals that I try to hit, rather than the freedom of blogging in your own voice from a particularly personal place. Both fulfill certain aspects of my personality, and I’m thankful to have the two.

Combing through some old work I found this recipe, which I’d created for Chef Dennis of Ask Chef Dennis, a fellow member of a recipe swap I was part of a long, long time ago. I recalled his simple, tentative blog flourishing into a side career for him that’s incredibly beneficial to the many he mentors, and his recipes becoming more specific and his stories more profound. I recalled this winter night I played with a desktop studio set and the new flash I’d recently purchased, playing with artificial light for a few months until I decided that natural light was the only way I’d go in the future.

Dennis has asked me to guest post on his site, and for it I developed a recipe that represented what I was playing with at the time: small batches of sweets made with seasonal ingredients and a slightly exotic flair. The result was a bright lemon cake that’s buttery and rich but has a soft chew. It’s an easy recipe for someone in the early stages of gluten-free baking, as it has only three flours that are a strong base for a gluten-free cake flour blend (brown rice, tapioca and millet). If, like me, your delight in desserts comes more from cake than frosting, you can simply brush this cake with lemon juice, melted jam or Limoncello liqueur and sprinkle it with ground nuts or fresh fruit. Or, if you’ve got more of a sweet-tooth, whip up the frosting to spread on top; it’s smooth and chills well, so you can serve the masterpiece later without worry.