I came late to the lemon party, preferring chocolate anything over lemon. And if there wasn't anything chocolate to pick then I'd still opt for something other than lemon. It's not that I didn't like lemon...I did/do...it's just that I would have "sweet" on my mind and lemon always said "tart." I suppose I just didn't understand the many subtleties of lemon - how it can be tongue-puckering one minute and soothingly sweet the next - ahhhh, so much to learn grasshopper!
The mister and the girl have always been big fans of lemon...being dessert racists they would always reach for lemon pie over chocolate...lemon cake over coconut...lemon pudding over vegetables! (They're not dummies!) So I've made my fair share of lemon desserts...for every lemon dessert I made I also made a chocolate one so the boy and I could enjoy what WE wanted! But this cake...this unassuming looking little loaf is really quite spectacular...it will fool you with it's appearance - it's certainly not the prettiest cake I've ever seen...just take a page from the "Susan Boyle Book of Being Judged by Looks Alone" and cut into this cake before you even have a second to reconsider...the crumb is dense and moist...the flavor is zesty and yes, tart, but the underlying sweetness will sneak up on you and before you know it, that little unassuming loaf will be history.
This is dang, dang, dang, dang, dang good...yep, a 5 danger on the old Dang Meter. It's perfect the day it's made and even better the next - if it lasts that long.
Before you begin to make this cake, all ingredients need to be at room temperature so take your eggs, butter and buttermilk out of the refrigerator at least an hour before you begin.
Lemon Pound Cake - From Ina Garten's 2001 Barefoot Contessa's Parties!
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans. Cream 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.
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 to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
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.
"Whoever gives a small coin to a poor man has six blessings bestowed upon him, but he who speaks a kind word to him obtains eleven blessings." Talmud
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One year ago today: Jamaican Banana Bread
