Dense, buttery pound cake will get a lemon carry on this vivid and cheery citrus model. Iced lemon pound cake is tremendous moist and bursting with the flavors of contemporary lemon, creamy butter, and candy vanilla. A creamy lemon icing that units on high is the one adorning this small-yet-stunning cake requires.
One reader, Laurie, says:“I’ve by no means made pound cake earlier than however this turned out very nicely. It was moist and scrumptious. It took 50 minutes to bake and I’m glad you talked about that a few moist crumbs on a toothpick is okay, in any other case I’ll have left it within the oven longer and it might have been a bit dry. I used the zest of 1 1/2 lemons as urged as I really like lemon. I’m making one other one right now! ★★★★★“
But when grapefruit isn’t your excellent alternative, iced lemon pound cake is one other house run. I initially revealed this recipe on my web site in 2017 and I make it a minimum of as soon as each winter season. Think about a espresso store lemon loaf, however with a tighter crumb and with supremely contemporary taste you solely get from selfmade. (Nothing compares!)
Do you take pleasure in pound cake? My favourite is that this cream cheese pound cake, which has an upgraded taste, tight and dense crumb, and stays splendidly buttery and mushy. Brown butter pound cake has the same texture and comes with the addition of brown butter taste. Level being—I really like including aptitude and taste to pound cake, and lemon is all the time a beautiful alternative.
By the best way, in the event you’ve tried the lemon loaf recipe in my cookbook Sally’s Baking Dependancy, you’ll recognize right now’s recipe, too. The cookbook variation is a lighter-crumbed fast bread—mushy and ethereal like birthday cake, however with massive and vivid lemon taste that hits as quickly as you’re taking the primary chew.
The Actual Texture of This Lemon Pound Cake
Right this moment’s recipe has the identical wake-up-your-tastebuds taste as my cookbook variation, however the texture is slightly totally different. It’s:
Unapologetically moist
Caramelized across the edges
Dense and satisfying with out tasting heavy
Tremendous wealthy and buttery
Further clean with a velvety crumb
Greatest Substances to Use & Why I Don’t Advocate Substitutions
You want simply 9 elements within the lemon pound cake batter. With so few elements, it’s finest to stay to the recipe as a result of every has an necessary job. I’ve tried my hand at many variations, and maintain coming again to this recipe due to its cautious ratio of elements. I don’t advocate straying.
Dry Substances: You want all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. The quantity of flour isn’t a misprint. You actually solely want 1.5 cups, or 188g. Someway, it simply works!
Moist Substances: Seize your room-temperature butter and sugar, then you definately’ll want eggs, bitter cream for moisture (it additionally retains the crumb a bit gentle), vanilla extract, and lemon zest + juice.
Useful Tip: You want lemon zest and juice and it’s best to zest the lemon earlier than juicing it. Right here’s the citrus zester and the citrus juicer I take advantage of in the event you want suggestions.
Anticipate a Thick Lemon Pound Cake Batter
It is a thick batter. In contrast to vanilla cake or chocolate cake, there’s no milk to skinny issues out. The one actual liquid is from the lemon juice, and there isn’t an excessive amount of of it. Pound truffles don’t usually embody liquid in addition to eggs. (In case you contemplate these liquid!)
You possibly can bake this in a 9×5-inch loaf pan, however these days I’ve been utilizing my 1-lb. 8×4-inch loaf pan. It yields a taller loaf, and desires slightly further bake time. I embody directions for each pans within the recipe under. If all you could have is a 9×5-inch loaf pan, which is what you employ for banana bread and pumpkin bread, you should utilize it, however count on the bread to be slightly shorter than pictured.
Unfold the batter into the greased loaf pan. There isn’t a lot pouring concerned… extra of a spoon-and-spread scenario right here!
Lemon Icing That Units
I imagine the saying goes… when life fingers you lemons, make lemonade glaze. The icing on high of the pound cake provides a complete different degree of lemon taste. It’s thick and units after a pair hours, producing a candy and zingy layer you’ll wish to save for final. You want heavy cream (or half-and-half or milk), lemon juice, and confectioners’ sugar.
Be happy so as to add candied lemons on the highest for presentation, like I do with lemon poppy seed bread.
Can I bake this in a Bundt pan?
This recipe is just too small for a Bundt pan. In you desire a bigger lemon pound cake in a Bundt pan, listed below are 2 choices: (1) Double the recipe, however use 3/4 cup (180g) of bitter cream to make sure there may be sufficient moisture. The remainder of the elements are merely doubled. Comply with the identical baking time and temperature from my cream cheese pound cake. And (2) Use my lemon poppy seed Bundt cake recipe, and be happy to skip the poppy seeds.
Can I add blueberries?
Completely. You possibly can fold 1 cup (about 140g) of contemporary blueberries into the batter. I attempt to keep away from frozen blueberries as a result of they flip the batter and cake grayish blue, however be happy to make use of them if that’s all you could have. No have to coat them with flour earlier than folding in, however be happy to take action in the event you’d like. This batter is sort of thick, in order that they don’t actually sink.
Dense, buttery pound cake will get a lemon carry on this vivid and cheery citrus model. Iced lemon pound cake is tremendous moist and bursting with the flavors of contemporary lemon, creamy butter, and candy vanilla. A creamy lemon icing that units on high is the one adorning this small-yet-stunning cake requires.
Directions
Decrease the oven rack to the lower-third place and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease an 8×4-inch loaf pan (like this one or this one) with nonstick spray. Or you should utilize a 9×5-inch loaf pan for a shorter loaf.
Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt collectively in a big bowl. Put aside.
With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on excessive pace in a big bowl till clean and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat on excessive pace for two minutes till creamed. Scrape down the perimeters and up the underside of the bowl as wanted. With the mixer operating on low pace, add the eggs separately. As soon as the final egg is totally combined in, cease the mixer. Add the bitter cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract, then beat on medium pace till mixed. Scrape down the perimeters and up the underside of the bowl as wanted. The combination could look curdled on account of the various textures combining. That is regular and the batter will come collectively while you add the dry elements within the subsequent step.
With the mixer operating on low pace, slowly add the dry elements simply till mixed. If wanted, run a whisk via the batter a couple of occasions to rid any massive lumps. Keep away from over-mixing. Batter may be very thick.
Spoon/unfold the batter into ready loaf pan and bake for 55-65 minutes in the event you used an 8×4-inch pan and 45-60 minutes in the event you used a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Tent the cake with aluminum foil midway via baking to stop the highest from over-browning. Pound truffles are dense and take awhile to bake within the oven. Baking occasions fluctuate, so control yours and don’t be alarmed if yours is taking longer. The cake is completed when a toothpick inserted within the heart comes out *largely* clear. A pair moist crumbs are OK.
Take away the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack. Permit cake to chill within the pan on the wire rack for 1 hour, then fastidiously take away the marginally heat cake from the pan. Let it proceed cooling on a wire rack or on a serving plate/platter. You possibly can add the icing whereas the cake remains to be heat or look forward to it to chill.
Make the icing: Whisk all the icing elements collectively and pour over cake. Serve instantly or wait till the cake cools utterly, which guarantees neater slices.
Cowl and retailer leftover cake for as much as 3 days at room temperature or as much as 1 week within the fridge.
Notes
Make Forward & Freezing Directions: You may make the pound cake forward of time by freezing it. (I recommend icing it proper earlier than serving, so freeze it with out the icing.) Bake it, cool it, then wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap after which a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze the loaf for as much as 3 months. Permit the cake to thaw in a single day within the fridge, then convey to room temperature earlier than topping with icing and serving.
Bitter Cream: In case you don’t have bitter cream, you should utilize plain yogurt or dairy/nondairy milk as an alternative. If utilizing milk, your pound cake received’t have an excellent tight crumb that's signature to pound truffles. As a substitute, the cake can have a lighter and cakier texture. For finest outcomes, I like to recommend full-fat bitter cream.
Bundt Pan: Listed here are 2 choices for making a lemon Bundt pound cake in a Bundt pan. (1) Double this recipe, however use 3/4 cup (180g) of bitter cream. In case you had been doubling the recipe, you'll use 1/2 cup however ensure you enhance to three/4 cup for added moisture. The remainder of the elements are merely doubled. Spoon/unfold right into a generously greased 10–12-cup Bundt pan. Comply with the baking time and temperature from my cream cheese pound cake. (2) Use my lemon poppy seed Bundt cake recipe. Be happy to depart out the poppy seeds. That cake has a lighter texture and isn’t fairly as heavy as pound cake.
Can I Add Blueberries? Sure, completely. You possibly can fold 1 cup (about 140g) of contemporary blueberries into the batter after it comes collectively. I strongly advocate contemporary blueberries, as frozen blueberries can flip the batter and completed cake a grayish blue. Preserving that in thoughts, you should utilize them in the event you’d like. I've higher luck with contemporary.
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