Yet another recipe from Smitten Kitchen. Have I mentioned I am addicted to this particular blog? Love it. Anyhow, this recipe is a HUGE wow with Deb at Smitten Kitchen so I figured I should give it a try (like I did with the Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake). It is adapted from an Ina Garten (a.k.a. Barefoot Contessa) recipe and according to Deb at Smitten Kitchen, it is one of her top favorite cakes ever. You know it has to be good.
This turned out delightfully well, if you love lemon. I love lemon…this might be just a tad MUCH lemon for me, but it was still really delicious and very elegant – a perfect treat to take to someone or entertain with. Or like me, just serve to my regular, normal, everyday family after dinner. Oh and please, please check out Deb’s site to look at some REALLY beautiful pictures of this cake.
Lemon Pound Cake
Printable Version
Printable Version with Picture
Yield: 2 cakes.
INGREDIENTS:
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup plus
3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted.
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 1/2-by-4 1/4-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
Cream butter and 2 cups sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Mixing at medium speed, add eggs, one at a time, and lemon zest.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, buttermilk and vanilla. Add flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to butter and sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Divide batter evenly between pans, smooth tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
Combine 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat until sugar dissolves.
When cakes are done, let them cool 10 minutes. Invert them onto a rack set over a tray, and spoon lemon syrup over cakes. Let cakes cool completely.
For glaze, combine confectioners’ sugar and remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a whisk until smooth. Pour over top of cakes, and allow glaze to drizzle down the sides.
Recipe Source: Adapted from ‘’Barefoot Contessa Parties!’’ by Ina Garten
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi!
I am new to your blog but *love* it, thank you for your time and dedication – it seems like you have a lot of fans too!
Do you think this cake would work in a bundt pan as well? If so, any recommendation on how long I should bake and at what temp?
Anonymous – I have never tried this recipe in a bundt pan but I’m always up for changing recipes. If you did it in a bundt pan, I would bake at 350 degrees for the same amount of time, checking often to see if it is done. Let me know if you try it!
I made this cake as a 8 inch round cake. Baked at 325 degrees for 1 hour. It turned out fine. I also added 2 tablespoons of poppyseeds to the mix.
Thanks, Mary – poppy seeds sound like a fantastic addition!
Hello there. I just recently found your blog and am so in love. I have printed about 15 recipes just today. It’s getting a little out of hand. But, what can I say, everything you post looks absolutely amazing!
Will you please share with me what kind of loaf pans you use? Mine are super cheapo and tend to burn things and I think they are too large. I want my loaves to turn out beautiful like yours do! =) Thanks for your advice.
Suzanne – for this pound cake, I use a large 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan. To be honest, I don’t remember where I got mine but they aren’t super high quality. I probably picked up at least one of them from Walmart. For bread and smaller loaves, I use an 8 1/2-inch by 4-inch pan and I get those from Chicago Metallic. Hope you like this recipe! I’m glad you’ve found so many others to try, also!
Great, thanks for the info!