Description
Luscious lemon pound cake celebrates Ina Garten’s signature dessert with zesty citrus notes. Buttery crumb and sweet glaze invite home bakers to savor this classic comfort treat.
Ingredients
Scale
- ½ pound / 225g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 3 cups / 375g all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups / 500g granulated sugar, divided
- ⅓ cup / 45g lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
- ¾ cup / 180ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed, divided
- 1 tsp / 5ml vanilla extract
- ½ tsp / 2g baking powder
- ½ tsp / 2g baking soda
- 1 tsp / 6g kosher salt
- ¾ cup / 180ml buttermilk, at room temperature
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat oven to 350°F and meticulously butter and flour two loaf pans, optionally lining with parchment paper for seamless cake removal.
- Creaming: Utilize an electric mixer to whip butter and granulated sugar until luxuriously fluffy and pale, approximately 5 minutes. Gently integrate eggs one at a time, then fold in vibrant lemon zest with delicate precision.
- Dry Ingredient Integration: Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a separate bowl, ensuring uniform distribution of dry components.
- Batter Distribution: Evenly divide batter between prepared pans, smoothing surfaces with a spatula to create an impeccably level landscape.
- Baking and Syrup Creation: Bake cakes for 45-60 minutes while simultaneously crafting lemon syrup by dissolving sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan over gentle heat.
- Initial Cooling and Syrup Application: After removing from oven, let cakes rest in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack positioned over a collecting tray. Delicately drizzle warm lemon syrup, allowing it to permeate the cake’s warm surface.
- Glazing: Whisk confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until achieving a silky, pourable glaze. Once cakes have completely cooled, lavishly pour glaze, permitting it to elegantly cascade down the loaf sides.
Notes
- Zest Like a Pro: Carefully grate only the bright yellow part of the lemon skin, avoiding the bitter white pith underneath for pure, intense lemon flavor.
- Room Temperature Matters: Ensure butter, eggs, and other dairy ingredients are at room temperature to create a smoother, more evenly mixed batter that rises beautifully.
- Patience with Mixing: Cream butter and sugar for the full 5 minutes to incorporate maximum air, resulting in a lighter, more tender pound cake texture.
- Check Doneness Carefully: Use the cake tester method precisely – it should come out completely clean with no wet batter clinging to indicate perfect baking time.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 10
- Calories: 470
- Sugar: 50g
- Sodium: 220mg
- Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 60g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 110mg