Killer Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze

Toast it in the morning for breakfast, or serve it with ice cream or macerated berries as a dessert.

Ingredients for cake:
2 sticks unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups, plus 1 T cake flour, divided
2 T lemon zest
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream


Ingredients for the lemon glaze:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 T lemon zest

Preparing the cake:
Adjust the oven rack to the center position, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan with 1 tablespoon of butter, and dust with 1 tablespoon of the cake flour, tapping out excess.

Place the butter and lemon zest in a small saucepan set over a low heat. Gently melt the butter, whisking constantly. Set aside. Combine the sugar, eggs, and lemon juice in the bowl of a standing mixer. Use the whip attachment to beat the sugar, eggs, and lemon juice on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Reduce the speed to low, and in a slow and steady stream, pour the melted butter and lemon zest into the bowl. Sift remaining 1 1/2 cups cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Add the sifted flour mixture in three stages to the wet ingredients in the bowl of the stand mixer. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure an evenly blended batter. Mix the batter just until blended, add the sour cream, and mix to blend.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake the cake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F, and continue to bake the cake until a deep golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into its center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Be sure to rotate the pan once after 20 minutes of baking. Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and continue to cool it on the rack until just warm. Pour the glaze over the cake while just warm.

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Preparing the lemon glaze:
Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a medium bowl. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Pour the glaze over the pound cake while the cake is still warm.

Makes one 9-inch loaf, 8 to 10 servings