Sparks from the Kitchen

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm Meyer Lemons. The part tangerine tasting lemon that is the shape of an average lemon but a different color and different taste and smell.  See? Here they are below next to some navel oranges and below that you can see the contrast in color next to the yellow border of my dish. They’re closer in color to an orange than a lemon. Here’s a good article about them but, at the risk of sounding like a snob, they’re hardly undiscovered 🙂 And conveniently I have a pound cake pan with a lemon pattern on top. Cute no?

Note: this recipe calls for a few different additions of the lemons-juice, zest etc…get 3 large ones and that will be just enough.

Meyer Lemon Pound Cake

For the cake:

• 1 3/4 cups AP flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 tbsp Meyer Lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tbsp Meter Lemon zest
• 1 cup granulated sugar plus 2 additional tbsp
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten

For the syrup:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup Meyer Lemon juice

For the glaze:

• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
• 1 tbsp Meyer Lemon juice

Instructions:.

1. Preheat oven to 315F. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine.  
3. In a small bowl whisk the sour cream and lemon juice together.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixture fitted with the paddle attachment combine the lemon zest and sugar. Using your fingers rub them together until the sugar is moist and fragrant and evenly mixed together.  Add the butter to the bowl and beat on medium speed until very pale and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).  Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in th eggs in 3 additions, beating well after each addition until the mixture is smooth (stop to scrape down the bowl as needed). With the mixer on low alternately add the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the sour cream mixture in 2, starting and ending with the dry.  Once all of the ingredients have been added scrape down the bowl then beat on low for another 30 seconds to combine.  Use a rubber spatula to make sure the batter in the bottom of the bowl is uniform.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the top then tap the pan on a hard flat surface to release any air bubbles.
6. Place a piece of aluminum foil under the cooling rack.
7. Bake the cake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Place the pan on a wire cooling rack, let it cool for 10 minutes then turn it out onto the rack.
8. While the cake is in the oven make the syrup.  Combine the sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan cook over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar has dissolved.  Bring to a simmer, cook for 2 minutes and then remove from heat and set aside.
9. Once you’ve turned the cake out of the pan onto the rack brush the top and sides with the syrup.  Reuse any that falls below onto the foil below. Be sure to use all of the syrup. Then let the cake cool completely–about 2 hours.
10. When the cake is cooled make the glaze by combining the confectioners sugar with the juice in a small bowl and stir to combine.  Drizzle it carefully over the cake covering it completely. Let the glaze set for 15 minutes before serving.

Source: Cook’s Country April/May 2006

I printed this from someone’s blog but didn’t write down who’s it was. If it’s yours please let me know.

 I drizzled a little extra juice that I had left over all over the cake after I poured on the glaze.

And don’t waste the left over pieces that you’ve squeezed-there’s still a ton of flavor in there-it would be a shame to throw out that deliciousness!!

Note: this cake will keep for 5 days wrapped tightly at room temp for upto 5 days or freeze (unglazed) for up to 1 month.

Here is a photo of the cooling rack with foil underneath-the syrup will drip so it’s nice to catch all of it.