Buttermilk Lemon Pound Cake
4 eggs
3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
16 Tbsp. (2 sticks or 1 cup) butter, softened
2 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon extract
2 Tbsp. grated lemon rind (yellow part, zest only)
1-1/2 c. buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a
10-inch bundt pan or two 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2-inch loaf pans.
Put the uncracked eggs in a bowl and pour hot tap water over them.
Let stand for several minutes to warm the eggs gently.
Put the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until it is smooth
and creamy. Slowly add the sugar, beating constantly, and continue
beating until smooth and well-blended. Add the eggs all at once, and
beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the lemon extract and
lemon rinds; mix until well-blended. Add salt; sprinkle about half
the flour over the butter mixture and beat until well-blended. Beat
half the buttermilk mixture into the batter. Add the remaining
ingredients and beat until the batter is smooth and fluffy.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s). Bake the bundt cake for
60-75 minutes, the loaf cakes 40-45 minutes, or until a broom straw
inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the
oven and let cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn out onto the rack
to cool completely before serving.
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NOTE: I saw a recipe for liqueur-soaked pound cakes recently. The
liqueur syrup is wonderful when soaked into this fluffy, tender pound
cake recipe. Basically, you leave the pound cake in the pan and poke
holes into it with a toothpick or small skewer. Then take some
liqueur of choice (e.g, Grand Marnier, amaretto) and pour it
slowly over the pound cake which is still in the pan. Do this several
times, letting the liqueur soak into the cake deeply, then serve or
wrap and freeze for later use. If you use Grand Marnier, you can also
add a bit of fresh orange juice to the liqueur for a nice effect.
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