Lemon Bundt Cake

 

Nothing says summertime like old-fashioned lemonade.  Just sugar, freshly squeezed lemons, and water served in a beautiful pitcher. Don't forget to toss a few slices of lemon among the ice cubes. Now, take a seat on the deck or the porch, take a long, slow sip and just enjoy. Like the best things in life, it's easy and simple. Now,  imagine that intense lemon flavour in a moist buttery cake, a lemony rich cake that is first drenched in lemon soaking solution, and then topped with a glaze. Yes, it can be summertime any day of the year when you have a slice of this bit of heaven.

This Lemon Bundt Cake is essentially a moist and very flavorful pound cake. It actually improves when first basted, wrapped, and left in the fridge for a few days. Don't glaze it until you are ready to serve. If you can hold off, I really recommend not skipping this step.  Because it is baked in a bundt pan, it doesn't even really need frosting, it looks so pretty as is. But, after basting it with a lemon soaking solution, I like to drizzle it with a pound cake glaze.  This cake will put a sunny smile on anyone's face.

Lemon Bundt Cake

(from Bakewise by Shirley O. Corriher)

Nonstick cooking spray with flour

3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter cut into chunks

1/2 cup (96 g) shortening (Crisco in USA, Trex in UK)

3 cups (595 g) sugar

1/3 cup (79 ml) canola oil (I use rapeseed oil in the UK)

2 tablespoons (30 ml) pure lemon extract

Grated peel of 4 large lemons

3 tablespoons (45 ml) lemon juice

2 large egg yolks

5 large eggs

2 & 2/3 cups (332 g) all-purpose flour. In the UK, I use plain flour because it has no leavening in it.

1/2 cup (52 g) finely ground almonds. I found this in the baking aisle.

1 teaspoon (5 g) baking powder

1 teaspoon (6 g) salt

1/2 cup (118 ml) heavy cream. In the UK, I use single cream.

Lemon Soaking Solution (recipe follows)

Pound Cake Glaze (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 350F/177C

2. Spray a 10 inch (25-cm) tube pan or a 12-cup (2.8-L) Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour.

3. On medium speed, beat butter to soften. Add shortening, beat until light and pale in colour, about 3 minutes. Add sugar and continue to beat (cream) until very light, scraping down the sides at least once. At this point, check the bowl to see if it feels cool. If not, put the bowl in the freezer for 3-5 minutes and then continue creaming. Next, beat in the oil, lemon extract, grated lemon peel, and lemon juice.

4. On the lowest speed, blend in yolks and then whole eggs, one at a time.

5. In medium bowl, using a fork, beat together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, and salt for 30 seconds.

6. On the lowest speed, blend flour mixture into butter mixture in 3 additions. Scrape down the sides of the bowl at least once.

7. Place a bowl, beaters, and cream in the freezer for 5 minutes.  Whip the cream until soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted. Beat just a little more past this stage, about 1 minute. Now stir 1/4 of the cream into the batter to lighten it. Now very gently fold the rest of the cream into the batter using a flat cake spatula.

8. Pour batter into prepared pan. Drop cake pan onto counter from a height of 4 inches to knock out the air bubbles. Smooth the batter with a spatula.

9. Place cake in oven and bake until cake springs back when touched, or a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean but moist, about 1 hour. Ideally, the cake should not pull away from the sides until just out of the oven. Let cake cool in pan for about 15 minutes. Knock cake against counter to jar it loose and turn it onto a serving platter to finish cooling.

10. While the cake is still hot, baste cake with lemon soaking solution. See recipe below. Next, wrap cooled and basted cake and put in fridge for 2 or 3 days. When ready to serve, drizzle with pound cake glaze. See recipe below.

Lemon Soaking Solution

1/3 cup (79 ml) lemon juice

1/2 cup (99 g) sugar

Stir lemon juice and sugar together until sugar is completely dissolved. If necessary, heat slightly until dissolved. Brush on the hot cake until all the solution is absorbed.

Pound Cake Glaze

1 cup (120 g) confectioners sugar or icing sugar 

2 to 3 tablespoons  (30-45 ml) cream ( heavy or single, depending on where you live!)

1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) pure vanilla extract

Stir together all the ingredients and drizzle over cake. You want the consistency thick and just barely pourable. Add more sugar or cream until you get it right. Drizzle over the cake so the that it trickles down the sides. Serve to very happy guests. I suggest you put aside a piece for yourself for later, as this cake goes very fast.