This is perhaps my favorite way to eat pound cake! The fresh light flavor of lemon blends beautifully with the buttery flavor of pound cake. The lemon syrup tenderizes, adds tartness, and helps to keep the cake fresh for a few days longer than usual. Poppy seeds add a delightful crunch. Lemon blossoms and lemon leaves make a lovely and appropriate garnish.
Ingredients
Makes 8 servings
Lemon Syrup:
Equipment:
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Step 2
In a medium bowl lightly combine the milk, eggs, and vanilla.
Step 3
In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients, including the lemon zest and poppy seeds, and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and half the egg mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed (high speed if using a hand mixer) and beat for 1 minute to aerate and develop the cake's structure.
Step 4
Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the remaining egg mixture in 2 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down the sides.
Step 5
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. The batter will be almost 1/2 inch from the top of a 4-cup loaf pan. (If your pan is slightly smaller, use any excess batter for cupcakes.) Bakes 55 to 65 minutes (35 to 45 minutes in a fluted tube pan) or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cover loosely with buttered foil after 30 minutes to prevent overbrowning.The cake should start to shrink from the sides of the pan only after removal from the oven.
Step 6
To get an attractive split down the middle of the crust, wait until the natural split is about to develop (about 20 minutes) and then with a lightly greased sharp knife or a single-edged razor blade make a shallow mark about 6 inches long down the middle of the cake. This must be done quickly so that the oven door does not remain open very long or the cake will fall. When cake splits, it will open along the mark.
Shortly before the cake is done, prepare the Lemon Syrup:
Step 7
In a small pan over medium heat, stir the sugar and lemon juice until dissolved. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, place the pan on a rack, poke the cake all over with a wire tester, and brush it with 1/2 the syrup. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a spatula and invert it onto a greased wire rack. Poke the bottom of the cake with the wire tester, brush it with some syrup, and reinvert onto a greased wire rack. Brush the sides with the remaining syrup and allow to cool before wrapping airtight. Store 24 hours before eating to give the syrup a chance to distribute evenly. The syrup will keep the cake fresh a few days longer than a cake without syrup.
Step 8
**Note:**This cake is very attractive made in individual portions. A 6-cake Bundt-lette pan is the perfect size. This recipe will make 6 individual cakelettes, which require about 20 minutes to bake.
Step 9
Finished Height:In a 4-cup loaf: 2 1/4 inches at the sides and 3 1/2 inches in the middle. In a 6-cup loaf: 1 3/4 inches at the sides and 2 1/2 inches in the middle. In a 6-cup fluted tube: 2 1/4 inches in the middle.
Step 10
Store:Airtight: 3 days room temperature, 1 week refrigerated, 2 months frozen.
Step 11
Complementary Adornment:A simple dusting of powdered sugar.
Step 12
Serve:Room temperature.
Pointers for Success:
Step 13
• Usecake flourthat doesnotalready contain leavening. Do not use self-rising cake flour.
Step 14
• Use superfine sugar for finest texture.
Step 15
• Use fresh baking powder.
Step 16
• Measure or weigh ingredients carefully.
Step 17
• If using a hand-held mixer, beat at high speed.
Step 18
• Use the correct pan size.
Step 19
• For very even layers and maximum height use Magi-Cake Strips.
Step 20
• Check for accurate oven temperature.
Step 21
• Use correct baking time; do not overbake.
Step 22
•请务必使用一个木制的牙签做测试neness. The cake will spring back when pressed lightly in the center even before it is done. If the cake is underbaked, it will have tough, gummy spots instead of a fine, tender crumb.
Leave a Review
Reviews (43)
Back to TopIt was a hit at my husband's birthday.
janallan
Twin Falls, ID
6/17/2018
Excellent recipe, the syrup really gives the cake a nice citrusy flavor that is delicious. Didn't have time to make it too much in advance but that worked just fine. Served some syrup on the side for those who wanted to add some. Didn't have enough butter so subbed 100g of apple sauce for 100g of butter. Worked just fine. Definitely a keeper
hdesbiez
Paris
12/17/2012
Followed the recipe exactly and it was a hit with the family. Very fast to pull together.
Woook
Vancouver
6/24/2012
This cake was exceptionally good. I added twice the lemon zest called for as I am a lemon lover, and it was fantastic. I was careful not to overbeat. Also, I did not slice the top, nor did I cover half-way through baking and it was not over-browned by any stretch. The brushing with lemon syrup should be mandatory, it softens the crust and gives it a kick. Thank you for posting this! Easy and fun with my Kitchenaid. :)
epichemist
9/5/2011
Easy and delicious pound cake recipe. I recommend mixing liquid and dry ingredients separately at first and then combining them in batches later on. For smoother, fluffier texture mix the liquid ingredients until doubled in volume. Also I added about 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice to the cake batter for extra flavor. I will definitely make this recipe again
alisaomi
san francisco
1/10/2010
Good but a bit dry. I even weighed all of the ingredients and baked the cake for 55 minutes which is the low end of the time called for. Next time I would check it at 45 minutes. The cake is not dense as a pound cake.
gbrenzel
Glen Mills, PA
12/14/2009
this recipe totally rocks. i used a bundt pan, for lack of a loaf pan, and it came out divine. watch the cooking time.
agarwood
trieste, italy
11/21/2009
This was the strangest cake that I ever made. The flavor was good, but it was very dense and dry. Even the batter was a bit too thick before it went in the oven. It definitely needs icing, but I would recommend finding another recipe. Not worth the trouble of making it from scratch!
charbin
Paris
11/1/2009
Really nice cake with a rich flavour, even without the poppy seeds and lemon. My family loved it and it was gone in a flash.
Anonymous
10/11/2009
I've been making this for years. Wonderful!
Anonymous
Austin, TX
8/26/2008
All worth it.
Anonymous
idaho
6/18/2008
A very nice cake. I made it as a lighter option to a flourless chocolate cake for a family buffet and it was very well recieved. Sadly, I could not find any poppy seeds so had to omit, but I thought it was very good nonethless. I made a simple icing of 2 tbs icing sugar and lemon juice, which think I will double or triple next time. Also, I lined the whole tin with baking parchment which made for an attractive presentation. I'm looking forward to making it again.
lausiepoos
Wales
4/3/2008
A great recipe if you need a small cake - my 8 inch tube pan was the perfect size. Despite the overly complicated directions, this is an easy recipe. I measured the ingredients without weighing them. The cake had a wonderful flavor and a lovely texture.
Anonymous
Hollywood, CA
6/1/2007
This is good. I don't think you need to pay attention to all those over-dramatic instructions (I'd feel silly using parchment in a loaf pan), it's just a pound cake. I like this mixing method from The Cake Bible, but it's a pain if you want to make a cake on the spur of the moment and don't have softened butter (you can soften it in the microwave but it's tricky). I used the zest of two Meyer lemons and slightly less sugar, a greased and floured disposable 8-inch loaf pan, measured and didn't weigh the ingredients, and it worked fine. You may well need to cover it (I used a Pammed piece of foil), as it gets pretty brown. It's not as dense as more traditional pound cakes, but it's yummy and gets better as it ages a bit. If you can deal with all the ponderous, self-important directions, there's a perfectly nice recipe in there.
Anonymous
Oakland, CA
1/28/2007
Good pound cake but definitely needs some icing or something, its pretty dry. I made icing for it, SOOOO good. The icing is easy: 3 cups powdered sugar, 1.5 teaspoons light corn syrup, 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice. Whisk the 3 ingredients together and pour it over the entire cake, HUGE hit.
MaggieOregon
Eugene, OR
12/25/2006
