Lemon Pound Cake

For a great portion of my life, my definition of a pound cake came from an Entenmann’s box or a Sara Lee freezer item. These pound cakes came in neat little loaf shapes and I always loved the top part the best. The crumb was also extremely solid and dense, perfect for dipping into chocolate. Mmm. It was good stuff, and I liked it a lot, but I never tasted pound cake from scratch until I was nearly in my thirties. Ooops. I take that back. I’m 25, people!

When I finally did try a homemade pound cake, I was bowled over by the butter notes, so striking and so, well, buttery. Having not grown up with butter (a different story for another time), I took to pound cake like a new mom to caffeine. It was just so amazing, and I was a sucker for the duality of the tightly-packed crumb with the butter undertones.

My life got even better when I discovered almond pound cake, which is now a birthday staple in my house. You add some almond extract to the batter, and voila! Amazingness. It’s so rich and I could eat five slices in a row. I have, in fact, which is what got me into some major tummyache territory on my last birthday. Worth it!

Because it’s spring, this is a lemon pound cake with just a gentle drizzle of lemon glaze. It’s not overly tart or tangy, but exudes a much subtler lemon finish. It’s perfect to have with some iced tea while sitting on a porch, swinging back and forth in a warm breeze. Or, if you’re a real person like me, you can scarf it in a closet so the kids won’t see. Either way. Whatever works for you!

I used this awesome silicone cake mold, and the end result is beautiful, though your cake slices might look a little spiky when you cut it up. Just tell everyone it’s a themed Game of Thrones pound cake! Spikes! Yeah!

It doesn’t matter in the end. What does matter is how, toward the bottom, this cake’s texture changes ever so slightly. The top is nicely browned, the middle is dense, and the bottom has an almost syrupy finish. It’s what happens when the glaze goes to the already softer bottom and saturates the cake ever so slightly. It’s the best part of the slice.

The other important thing about this cake is the ease of baking it. Most pound cakes require a mixer to cream butter and sugar. Not this one! You can melt the butter in the microwave and mix everything in. So easy! If you’ve never made pound cake, let this be your first. It’s perfect and simple. I’ve said it before: we’re all busy. Why would I ask you to do something terribly hard?

You can also add some variations, depending on your tastes and baking prowess. Lemon zest, in either the cake or glaze (or both)? Go for it! Powdered sugar dusting instead of glaze? Why not?

Enjoy impressing people with this pound cake, so appropriate for the warm weather. It will give you a moment in the sun, I promise!

Cake:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk (I used two-percent)

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Coat a loaf pan or a small bundt or tube pan with cooking spray.

Combine the melted butter and sugar, stirring until smooth. Add the eggs and lemon juice, and mix again. Add the dry ingredients and stir until incorporated. Finally, add the milk and mix until the batter is without lumps.

Bake for 40-50 minutes until the top is golden. The baking time will vary depending on your choice of pan. A loaf pan will need more baking time than a tube pan.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool completely.

While the cake cools, prepare the glaze. Mix the lemon juice into the powdered sugar until a glaze forms. Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake and allow to set.

Cut into slices and serve. Store covered at room temperature for up to one week!