Super Lemon-y Lemon Pound Cake

I'm super late posting this, but I wanted to honor Tim and Veronica who were mentioned on the Joy the Baker podcast, so here's my version of a lemon pound cake--the super lemon-y kind!

I'm a big fan of lemon--so when I started looking for a lemon pound cake recipe, I wanted to make it the lemon-y-est lemon pound cake--a real zinger!

Lemons--I love 'em!

So when I found this recipe by the blog Dozen Flours, I was excited. She used a neat-o technique from Bill Yosses, the executive chef of the White House, who used not only lemon zest and juice, but had pieces of lemon pulp in the batter. Brilliant!

Basic pound cake ingredients

We've got the pound of flour, the pound of butter, the pound of sugar, and pound of eggs. And of course, the lemon.

First the zest: I learned while reading David Lebovitz's blog that the key to capturing the lemon oil (or any citrus oil) and not losing it on your cutting board is to grate it directly into the sugar (or into whatever mixture you've got).

Work the lemon zest into the sugar

Then, the lemon meat itself. You'll remove the rind with a knife, then you'll cut the meat from between the white fibrous membranes using a small paring knife. You'll take the pieces and break them into smaller bits that will be later folded into the batter.

Cut each section out--it will be worth it!

Then you bake it for a long while--it will seem a little long, but it will come out golden and crusty, and your home will smell so awesome. You may see some soft spots where a little piece of lemon migrated to the edge of the pan during baking, but no worries! It will be a pocket of citrus surprise!

Ready to go lemon pound cake

This cake is so lemon-y on its own, it doesn't require a lemon glaze or frosting. Just serve it with a little whipped cream and you're good to go.

Rich and lemon-y!

Super Lemon-y Lemon Pound Cake
Adapted from Dozenflours.com

5 lemons
3 c sugar
3 c cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c unsalted butter, softened
6 eggs, at room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, softened
Whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large bundt pan and flour with cake flour, tapping out any excess flour. Wash lemons well and dry completely. Measure out sugar into a medium bowl and zest lemons directly into sugar. Work the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingers.

Cut the ends of each lemon and stand the lemon on one of the flat ends. Cut off the rind and pith in sections, so only the inner lemon pulp is left. Take a small paring knife and cut out the lemon pulp in triangular sections, avoiding the white fibrous membranes, which can be bitter. Place the lemon into a bowl and break up into smaller pieces using a fork.

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a mixing stand bowl, cream the butter for two minutes. Add half of the sugar and cream till fluffy. Add the rest of sugar and mix for another 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix on low speed the dry ingredients, then the softened cream cheese till well combined, scrapping down the bowl as needed. Lastly, gently fold in the lemon and lemon juice.

Pour batter into bundt pan and bake for about 75 to 90 minutes, depending on your oven. Set your timer for 60 minutes, then check every 5-10 minutes until done. The top should be golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.

Serve with whipped cream. Enjoy!