Lemon Frosted Lemon Cake Recipe With Picture

Pound cakes are the ones we bake for every day. They are the cakes that sit on the counter just waiting for us to slice off a piece to enjoy with our coffee. This particular pound cake recipe is one I found over and over again in English cookbooks. I found it in Arabella Boxer's wonderful book 'Arabella Boxer's Book of English Food' which is about British foods served before WWII. I found it again in Jane Pettigrew's 'The National Trust Book of Tea-Time Recipes' which pays tribute to present day tea rooms in the United Kingdom. And this particular recipe comes from another great English food writer, Jane Grigson (Jane Grigson's Fruit Book). What is so appealing about this cake is its buttery yet intense lemon flavor that comes from adding both lemon zest and juice to the cake batter and then lemon juice is also used in the icing that frosts the cake. After tasting this cake it is no surprise that this cake has long been a favorite at Afternoon Teas. There is a difference in opinion on whether to pour the icing over the still warm cake so the icing melts completely into the cake, or to let the cake cool first and then frost the top of the cake so as the icing dries it hardens into a crusty glaze. Either way is delicious, so I will leave this decision up to you.

When choosing lemons look for ones that are fragrant with brightly colored oily yellow skins. If you can buy organic. The best lemons have firm, plump, and heavy for their size. Don't buy lemons that have blemishes, soft spots, or are hard and wrinkled. Lemons consist of a yellow outer rind (skin) that can be of varying thickness and graininess, and can have either a bumpy or a smooth texture. This outer skin is where most of the lemon's wonderful tangy flavor is located. Before removing the outer rind (zest) make sure you wash the lemon thoroughly (soap and water is best). When removing the zest do not remove the white membrane (pith) that is underneath as it is very bitter tasting. Once you have removed the outer rind, inside the lemon are small vessels called 'pulp vesicles' which contain the pleasantly acidic lemon juice and seeds. Squeezing the lemon by hand or with a lemon squeezer or reamer releases this clear tart juice. Always use fresh lemons to make lemon curd as the bottled lemon juice is a poor substitute and won't give you that wonderful sharp and refreshing citrus taste.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter, or spray with a nonstick spray, a 9 inch (23 cm) springform pan and then line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy and pale in color (about 3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and then add to the batter along with the lemon juice. Mix only until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Bake about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool, then gently remove the sides of the pan.

For the icing, combine the sifted confectioners' sugar with the 2 tablespoons lemon juice. (You want the icing to be thicker than a glaze but still thin enough that it will just run over the sides of the cake. If not the right consistency add more lemon juice or powdered sugar, accordingly.) Frost the top of the cake, allowing the icing to drip down the sides. Let the icing set before covering.

This cake will keep for several days in an airtight container.

Makes one - 9 inch (23 cm) cake.

Recipe:

1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Zest of 1 large lemon

2 cups (280 grams) all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice

Icing:

1 cup (115 grams) confectioners' (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

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