Pound cake is such a classic…. It takes me back to my childhood… the simplest of tastes, but the most fondly anticipated… whenever mum made it, the house was filled with aromas of vanilla and butter… I know butter doesn’t essentially have a smell, but there is SOMETHING it emits… when it’s combined with sweetness… you know it’s butter!
Traditional Pound cake is made with a pound of each of 4 ingredients: flour, buter, eggs and sugar, and is believed to have originated in Northern Europe… It’s usually made in a loaf pan or Bundt tin ( the round one with the whole in it )… Of course nowdays, with everything being adapted and experimented with, the humble Pound cake is not as it was…
So essentially THIS one ISN’T really a pound cake if you’re gonna nit-pick… but I like to call it that JUST because it looks like one and let me tell you, it’s buttery and moist, just like my mums! So I’ll allow it! 🙂
This cake is dedicated to my darling husband… it’s his birthday today!! I know, I know it’s not really a “birthday” looking cake… but he’s a man of extremely simple and traditional tastes… Last year I did a traditional cheesecake for him, which is by far his favourite … but he does love a good tea cake, and, for me, a pound cake is top of the list of tea cakes…
It’s funny how such a simple tea cake can be so challenging when it comes to finding the RIGHT recipe… You know it HAS to be moist, clean and melt in your mouth… so I turned to the lovely Ina Garten … I knew she’d have THE one.. and she did!!! This cake has been adapted slightly from hers in that I just added a little less lemon juice… topped one of the loaves with about 10-12 sliced up strawberries and finished by drizzling some melted white chocolate over the top!
Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake..
- 225 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 large lemons)
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- For the glaze:
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 10-12 strawberries, hulled and sliced (optional)
- 1 bar white chocolate, melted to drizzle ( optional)
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans. You may also line with parchment paper, if desired.
- Beat the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the lemon zest. You can just use a hand blender if you don’t have a stand blender.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes , until a cake tester comes out clean. Do not overbake, the cake will dry out.
- Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and set them on a rack set over a tray or sheet pan; spoon the lemon syrup over them. Allow the cakes to cool completely.
- For the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.
- If topping with strawberries, arrange them on top of the cake after pouring the glaze on, then drizzle with the white chocolate. Dust with a little more icing (confectioners) sugar if desired
Happy Birthday honey!!! Cheers to simplicity!! 🙂
Leave a Reply