Cake of the Day: Lemon Pound Cake from ‘Patisserie Made Simple’
Every day, Yahoo Food features delectable cakes. They taste good, they look good, and they’re made by good people — talented bakers from around the world. Today, Edd Kimber, a past winner of The Great British Bake Off shares a light and lemony poundcake from his new cookbook Patisserie Made Simple: From Macaron to Millefeuille and More.
Lemon Pound cake that uses sour cream, which gives it a moist and velvety texture. (Photo: Laura Edwards)
Lemon Pound Cake
Serves 10
Pound cake is one of the oldest and simplest cakes around, originally made with a pound each of butter, sugar, flour, and eggs, and known in France as “quatre-quarts.” This ratio can result in a cake that is a little too dense for most people’s taste, so this version has been lightened and simply flavored with lemon. My cake also uses sour cream, which gives it a wonderful moist and velvety texture. Although it’s delicious on its own, I love to serve it lightly toasted with some crème fraîche and fresh berries.
Ingredients
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature, diced, plus extra for greasing
1¼ cups superfine sugar
Zest of 2 lemons 1 teaspoon lemon extract (optional)
4 extra-large eggs
1⅔ cups self-rising flour
½ cup sour cream
For the lemon glaze
Scant 3 tablespoons lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
Heaping 1 cup powdered sugar
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and line it with a strip of parchment paper. Put the butter, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon extract (if using) in a large bowl, and using an electric mixer, beat for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Put the eggs in a pitcher and beat them together, then, working slowly, add the egg to the butter mixture, a little at a time, beating until fully combined before adding more. Once all the egg has been combined, sift in half the flour, mixing until just combined. Add the sour cream and mix until fully combined, then sift in the remaining flour and mix until just combined—don’t over-mix, as it can make the cake tough.
Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and gently level the top. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool until lukewarm.
To make the glaze, mix the lemon juice and powdered sugar together in a bowl to make a thin, pourable glaze. Put a piece of parchment paper under the wire rack to catch the drips from the glaze. Pour the lemon glaze over the lukewarm cake, and use a pastry brush to spread it over the entire surface in an even layer. Leave the cake to cool completely on the wire rack before serving.
This cake will keep for 3 to 4 days stored in an airtight container; it can also be frozen for up to one month without the glaze.
Reprinted with permission from Patisserie Made Simple: From Macaron to Millefeuille and More, by Edd Kimber (Kyle Books).
Patisserie Made Simple by Edd Kimber. (Photo: Laura Edwards)
For more awesome cake inspiration, visit our Cake of the Day Pinterest board and get to pinning!
More lemon-infused cakes:
Triple Lemon Layer Cake from ‘Butter Baked Goods’
Lavender Lemon Curd Marbled Cheesecake
