Ingredients
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Lemon glaze (optional)
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- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup juice from 1–2 medium lemons
Procedure
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- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 °F.
- Grease a 9x5-inch Pyrex loaf pan with 1 tablespoon softened butter; dust with 1 tablespoon cake flour, tapping out excess.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In glass measuring cup or microwave-safe bowl, microwave butter, covered with plastic wrap, in 30-second bursts until melted. Whisk melted butter thoroughly.
- In food processor, pulse sugar and lemon zest until combined. Add lemon juice, eggs, and vanilla; process until combined. With processor running, drizzle melted butter through feed tube. Transfer mixture to large bowl.
- Sift flour mixture over batter in three steps, gently whisking after each addition.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 15 minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325 °F and continue to bake until deep golden brown and a skewer inserted in center comes out clean (about 35 minutes), rotating pan halfway through baking time.
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn cake onto wire rack, poke on top and sides with a toothpick or skewer, and brush on lemon glaze (see below). Cool to room temperature (at least 1 hour).
Lemon glaze
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- While cake is cooling, bring sugar and lemon juice to boil in small nonreactive saucepan, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened slightly, about 2 minutes.
- Brush glaze onto cake.
Notes, tips, and variations
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- Once cooled, cake can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Lemon-Poppy seed Pound Cake: Follow the above recipe through step 2. Toss 1 tablespoon flour mixture with ⅔ cup poppy seeds in small bowl; set aside. Continue with recipe from step 3, folding poppy seed mixture into batter after flour is incorporated.
References
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- Pelzel, Raquel. January-February 2004. "Simplifying Lemon Pound Cake." Cook's Illustrated, p. 24-25.