Lemon Pound Cake
Springtime always makes me think of lemons. Perhaps it's because I associate spring with sunshine and lemons, with their sunny color and vibrant flavor, evoke sun-kissed days of lemon drops and lemonade. Perhaps it's the memory of the lemon jellies I often found in my Easter basket from the candy my grandmother made every spring. Speaking of Easter, perhaps it's because lemons are a cornerstone of Greek cooking, just as Easter is a cornerstone holiday in Greek culture.
Just as my grandmother always baked a chiffon cake to welcome spring, I always bake a lemon pound cake. It's simple to do, and so nice to find sliced on the weekend breakfast table (or just as likely, wrapped to accompany your to-go cup of weekday coffee), to share with visitors, or to end a weeknight dinner.
Pound cake is called that because, traditionally, it was made with a pound of each of four ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs and flour. Anyone who's visited a coffee house knows that there are numerous varieties of pound cake, from the traditional heavy yellow cake to those made with everything from brown sugar to chocolate and enhanced with everything from dried cranberries to flaked coconut.
But as flavorings go, citrus rules. I have had lovely bites of pound cake flavored with lime zest and drizzled with a sweet-tart lime glaze, or a heftier version flavored with orange juice. But my favorite is lemon: the bright lemon notes provide just the right counterpoint to the buttery cake. Here's my recipe for lemon pound cake -- lighter in texture than the typical pound cake, and vivid with layers of lemon flavor from a combination of lemon zest, lemon juice, and a crunchy lemon-sugar top that replaces the usual powdered sugar glaze.
LEMON POUND CAKE
Organic lemons are best for food to be prepared with citrus zest. This is because, to be sold as organic, lemons (along with other citrus fruits) should only be coated with an Organic-approved food-grade vegetable wax. A zester is an essential tool for every kitchen: here's the one I like. Use your favorite method to juice the lemons; I use a simple glass juicer
.
3 medium lemons, preferably organic
1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter plus extra for the pan
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons whole milk
1. Place the butter into the bowl you'll be mixing the batter in; set aside to soften.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch loaf pan and set aside.
3. Wash and dry the lemons. Use a small paring knife to remove the brown cap from the stem ends, and any scratches from the surfaces of, the lemons.
4. Working over a small plate or a square of parchment paper, use a zester to remove just the yellow skin (the "zest") from the lemons, avoiding the white pith beneath. You will need approximately 2-1/2 tablespoons zest, which you should be able to get from 3 medium-sized lemons, but don't worry if the measurement is not exact.
5. Measure 1 tablespoon of sugar into the reservoir of a food processor or stick blender. Add 1/2 tablespoon of the lemon zest. Pulse until finely ground and fragrant, usually about five pulses.
6. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl.
7. Slice two of the zested lemons in half and juice them. Pour juice into a bowl or cup through a sieve to catch any pith or seeds. You will need 2 tablespoons lemon juice; tightly wrap the third lemon in plastic for another use if you did not need it for juice.
8. Once the butter is softened, use an electric mixer to beat until fluffy, about one minute. Scrape down the beaters and the bowl. Add the remaining zest (approximately 2 tablespoons) and beat into the butter.
9. Beat the sugar into the butter until the mixture is thick and the lemon zest begins to give off its fragrance. Beat the eggs and vanilla extract into the mixture.
10. Add the flour, milk, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice to the mixture, alternating between additions of flour and liquid.
11. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the top with the lemon sugar.
12. Bake pound cake 45 minutes, or until the lemon sugar is nicely caramelized and a cake tester or thin knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan before removing and serving.
Just as my grandmother always baked a chiffon cake to welcome spring, I always bake a lemon pound cake. It's simple to do, and so nice to find sliced on the weekend breakfast table (or just as likely, wrapped to accompany your to-go cup of weekday coffee), to share with visitors, or to end a weeknight dinner.
Pound cake is called that because, traditionally, it was made with a pound of each of four ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs and flour. Anyone who's visited a coffee house knows that there are numerous varieties of pound cake, from the traditional heavy yellow cake to those made with everything from brown sugar to chocolate and enhanced with everything from dried cranberries to flaked coconut.
But as flavorings go, citrus rules. I have had lovely bites of pound cake flavored with lime zest and drizzled with a sweet-tart lime glaze, or a heftier version flavored with orange juice. But my favorite is lemon: the bright lemon notes provide just the right counterpoint to the buttery cake. Here's my recipe for lemon pound cake -- lighter in texture than the typical pound cake, and vivid with layers of lemon flavor from a combination of lemon zest, lemon juice, and a crunchy lemon-sugar top that replaces the usual powdered sugar glaze.
LEMON POUND CAKE
Organic lemons are best for food to be prepared with citrus zest. This is because, to be sold as organic, lemons (along with other citrus fruits) should only be coated with an Organic-approved food-grade vegetable wax. A zester is an essential tool for every kitchen: here's the one I like. Use your favorite method to juice the lemons; I use a simple glass juicer
.3 medium lemons, preferably organic
1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter plus extra for the pan
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons whole milk
1. Place the butter into the bowl you'll be mixing the batter in; set aside to soften.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch loaf pan and set aside.
3. Wash and dry the lemons. Use a small paring knife to remove the brown cap from the stem ends, and any scratches from the surfaces of, the lemons.
4. Working over a small plate or a square of parchment paper, use a zester to remove just the yellow skin (the "zest") from the lemons, avoiding the white pith beneath. You will need approximately 2-1/2 tablespoons zest, which you should be able to get from 3 medium-sized lemons, but don't worry if the measurement is not exact.
5. Measure 1 tablespoon of sugar into the reservoir of a food processor or stick blender. Add 1/2 tablespoon of the lemon zest. Pulse until finely ground and fragrant, usually about five pulses.
6. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl.
7. Slice two of the zested lemons in half and juice them. Pour juice into a bowl or cup through a sieve to catch any pith or seeds. You will need 2 tablespoons lemon juice; tightly wrap the third lemon in plastic for another use if you did not need it for juice.
8. Once the butter is softened, use an electric mixer to beat until fluffy, about one minute. Scrape down the beaters and the bowl. Add the remaining zest (approximately 2 tablespoons) and beat into the butter.
9. Beat the sugar into the butter until the mixture is thick and the lemon zest begins to give off its fragrance. Beat the eggs and vanilla extract into the mixture.
10. Add the flour, milk, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice to the mixture, alternating between additions of flour and liquid.
11. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the top with the lemon sugar.
12. Bake pound cake 45 minutes, or until the lemon sugar is nicely caramelized and a cake tester or thin knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan before removing and serving.
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