I made a boo boo and bought lemon flavoring instead of lemon extract!!! I am making lemon cake. The first batch is already in the oven! I thought the batter didn't taste as lemony as it should...I put some fresh lemon zest in there too...I came home and discovered I don't have a lemon zester. It's a pain to zest a lemon without a lemon zester!!! Will it be okay? None of the neighbors are home and there is cake in the oven and I started the second batch of batter before I realized what I did...I have 2 small kids here too! What should I do!!!!

Should be fine.

I mean you could add a lemony simple syrup wash, aka splash--or lemoncello splash, mmm.

What is this lemony simple syrup wash you speak of????

Yes, a lemon simple syrup would help bring out the lemon flavor:

1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
lemon peel

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan until sugar dissolves. Heat to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool. Remove lemon peel. Brush on your cakes.

You could also fill your cakes with a lemon filling or lemon curd and frost with lemon BC.

You can peel the lemon ---no white part (pith)--- and put it in the food processor. If you don't have a food processor, just mince it very, very fine.

Great ideas ladies! Good luck and I bet it turns out great!

You gals are all life savers. My next question is how long after I brush it with the simple syrup should I wait to stack and decorate it?

Be careful of the lemon peel, it might make it bitter?

And for me, if it's just a couple recipes of cake, you could get away with a much smaller amount.

I would make a syrup with 1/3 cup sugar and water, boil until it turns clear then turn off the fire and add whatever lemon flavor to taste.

I fill a squirt bottle--like a katsup bottle type squirt bottle--and just go round and round and squirt a stream all across & around the top of each layer --maybe leave a 1/2 inch between the lines you squirt out--when you are assembling the layers to be crumb coated or iced.

Y'know the clear squirt bottles they sell at the cake stores? Use one of those.

You can put your cake together as you finish brushing the simple syrup. No waiting time.

I usually brush mine a few minutes out of the oven but you can brush it on when the cakes are cooled too.

Oh, yes you can also 1/2 the recipe I gave you for a smaller cake.

Thank you thank you thank you! I could just kick myself for buying the wrong stuff. That's what I get for taking 3 children to the store with me.