Lemon & Cherry Pound Cake

Disclaimer: Technically, the cake neither uses a pound of butter, nor of flour, eggs or sugar. But it’s essentially still the same recipe and process.. You may choose to name it otherwise, but I like to call it this 🙂 

With the summer beating down on us like hell’s bells, no body actually wants to go into the kitchen, forget make anything. But the cooking bug inside me doesn’t seem to want me resting. So off I went about on a baking mission, and ended up with this soft, lemony Pound Cake 🙂

Lemons are so refreshing; whether you use them in savoury or sweet items, the hit of lemon gives the dish a zing that nothing else can replace. (I even like lemony fragrances 😛 hehe).

With the bright glow (read harsh) of summer mornings, a lemon-flavoured cake seemed imperative, whether you enjoy a slice with tea/coffee or on its own. Lemons and summer go so well, there’s something so inanely bright about it! Also, I hate complicated flavours; adding a dash of that lemony zing to a simple pound cake seemed like a great thing to do. I did add some cherries, just for that dab of colour 🙂

I made a light lemon glaze and drizzled it around the cake, just to add to the lemon boost. You may skip it entirely, or exchange lime for lemons, and even oranges or tangerines!

Lemon & Cherry Pound Cake 

Ingredients:

• All-purpose Flour – 1 &1/2 cups or 187 gms
• Powdered sugar – 1 cup or 225 gms 
• Eggs – 3
• Melted butter (salted)- 1 stick or 113 gms (the original recipe called for vegetable oil, but I felt the butter would taste better)
• Baking powder – 2 tsp
• Lemon zest – grated zest about 2 tsp (from 4 small lemons)
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice – 1/2 cup (you may add a drop or two of lemon oil for extra zing)
• Non-fat yogurt/Low-fat hung curd – 1 cup
• Preserved/fresh/candied cherries – 1o to 12, halved
• For the icing/glaze:
• Icing or superfine sugar – 4 tbsp
• Milk – 1 tbsp
• Lemon juice – 1 tsp
• Lemon zest – 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 C/350 F.
2. First, melt the butter; in a microwave or saucepan, your choice.
3. To the melted butter, add the powdered sugar and whisk very well. (The sugar will get sticky, don’t worry. Whisk and keep aside.)
4. To this, add the eggs, one by one, whisking after each addition.
5. Add the yogurt and lemon juice, and give a final whisk. The mixture will now be smooth and flowy.
6. Add the halved cherries, mix them in.
7. Sift in the flour and baking powder, whisking them in little by little, and finally using a spatula to fold the mixture until no lumps remain.
8. Meanwhile, grease and flour a 10-cup capacity bundt pan or a 6 inch cake tin or 7 x 4 inch loaf pan. (I used a standard 12-cup bundt pan)
9. Pour the batter into the prepared the pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. (I tested at 35 minutes, and found crumbs clinging to the skewer, and gave the cake another 11 minutes roughly. It was nice and golden by then.)
10. Leave cake to cool in pan for a few minutes and then insert on to a plate, wire rack or serving dish.
11. In a bowl, sift in the icing sugar and slowly add milk, whisking until a smooth glaze is formed.
12. Add the lemon juice and rind, whisk and drizzle over cake.
13. Serve hot 🙂 

The moist and lemony interior of the cake is a wonderful contrast with the golden-baked outer crust. The cake is best enjoyed hot, but if you serve it later or serve it after refrigerating it, just warm it up in the microwave 🙂