Lemon Poundcake
One of my coworkers has a lemon tree in their backyard, and recently they gave me a shopping bag half full with lemons!! Needless to say, I'm going to be making a lot of lemon recipes in the next couple of weeks. This bothers me none, as I looooove lemon!
My first recipe was a lemon poundcake. I really liked this, though next time I think I would add MORE lemon! You can never have too much in these types of things. (PS-Lemon squares are currently cooling on the counter as I type this. ;)
I, of course, took their suggestion to serve it with strawberrie (and some leftover whipped cream frosting I happened to have in the fridge!)
I've never seen lemon verbena in the store so I used regular 'ol lemons (it sounds nice though!) I didn't bother to make the glaze.. it's tasty enough without. This also made a lot LESS cake than I was expecting. And I had no idea what a "kugelhopf" pan was, so I just used a regular loaf pan. Well, this rises up when it's baking but then sinks down a bit towards the end of cooking time.. it is a pound cake, so don't be surprised if it looks "small". Of course, you could always double the recipe!
lemon verbena pound cake with strawberries
Gourmet | April 1996
Lemon verbena is a perfumy herb with a strong lemon flavor and a lemon-lime aroma. Its shiny green leaves can be added to salads, chicken and fish dishes, and desserts, as well as tea. For this pound cake, if you can't find lemon verbena at your specialty produce market or nursery, use freshly grated lemon zest in its place.
Ingredients For cake
1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh lemon verbena or 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
For glaze
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Accompaniment: strawberries
Preparation
Make cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F. and butter and flour a 1-quart kugelhopf pan, knocking out excess flour.
In a bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, verbena (or zest), and zest. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in vanilla. Beat in half of flour mixture. Beat in milk and lemon juice and beat in remaining flour mixture until just combined.
Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top, and bake in middle of oven 45 to 55 minutes, or until golden brown on top and a tester comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes and invert onto rack to cool completely.
Make glaze while cake is cooling:
In a small bowl whisk confectioners's sugar, a little at a time, into lemon juice until smooth and thick.
When cake is completely cooled, drizzle glaze over cake and let it drip down sides. Cake may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
Serve cake at room temperature with strawberries.
My first recipe was a lemon poundcake. I really liked this, though next time I think I would add MORE lemon! You can never have too much in these types of things. (PS-Lemon squares are currently cooling on the counter as I type this. ;)
I, of course, took their suggestion to serve it with strawberrie (and some leftover whipped cream frosting I happened to have in the fridge!)
I've never seen lemon verbena in the store so I used regular 'ol lemons (it sounds nice though!) I didn't bother to make the glaze.. it's tasty enough without. This also made a lot LESS cake than I was expecting. And I had no idea what a "kugelhopf" pan was, so I just used a regular loaf pan. Well, this rises up when it's baking but then sinks down a bit towards the end of cooking time.. it is a pound cake, so don't be surprised if it looks "small". Of course, you could always double the recipe!
lemon verbena pound cake with strawberries
Gourmet | April 1996
Lemon verbena is a perfumy herb with a strong lemon flavor and a lemon-lime aroma. Its shiny green leaves can be added to salads, chicken and fish dishes, and desserts, as well as tea. For this pound cake, if you can't find lemon verbena at your specialty produce market or nursery, use freshly grated lemon zest in its place.
Ingredients For cake
1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh lemon verbena or 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
For glaze
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Accompaniment: strawberries
Preparation
Make cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F. and butter and flour a 1-quart kugelhopf pan, knocking out excess flour.
In a bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, verbena (or zest), and zest. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in vanilla. Beat in half of flour mixture. Beat in milk and lemon juice and beat in remaining flour mixture until just combined.
Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top, and bake in middle of oven 45 to 55 minutes, or until golden brown on top and a tester comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes and invert onto rack to cool completely.
Make glaze while cake is cooling:
In a small bowl whisk confectioners's sugar, a little at a time, into lemon juice until smooth and thick.
When cake is completely cooled, drizzle glaze over cake and let it drip down sides. Cake may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
Serve cake at room temperature with strawberries.