Lemon Loaf Pound Cake

Lemon Loaf Pound Cake - made August 10, 2013 from Life Made Simple

Still using up the lemons from my aunts' lemon trees and still plowing through my pinterest board of recipes I mean to make someday.  So many recipes, so little room in my waistband.....

This is a simple but good lemon pound cake in loaf form.  Travels well, mails well and you can even get away with fully baking it (I don't advocate overbaking though) because you soak the baked product in a lemon soaking syrup that will add moistness to the cake.  Then it gets topped off by a glaze to provide a sweet contrast to the tartness of the lemon.  I included the vanilla bean glaze from Life Made Simple but I actually used a quick lemon frosting of a few tablespoons of softened butter creamed with powdered sugar and just enough freshly squeezed lemon juice to get the consistency I wanted.  Rather than a runny glaze, I opted for a slightly thicker consistency, more like a soft frosting.  Frosting is one of the few things I rarely measure when I mix it up since I go more by taste and consistency than actual proportions.

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

1¼ cups sugar

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

5 eggs

⅓ cup sour cream

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

Zest of 3 lemons

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon lemon extract (optional)

½ teaspoon vanilla 

Lemon simple syrup

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Vanilla bean glaze

½ cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place your rack in the middle of the oven. Lightly grease one 9x5 loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust with flour; set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon oil, and vanilla for 3 minutes (on medium-high) or until light and fluffy. Add sour cream, beat until incorporated. Add eggs one at a time, mixing to incorporate after each addition. 
3. In a small mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. With mixing speed on low, gradually add dry ingredients, mixing for an additional 45 seconds after all of the dry ingredients have been added.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour or until the top becomes golden brown in color. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and lemon juice to create a syrup. Once sugar has dissolved allow to gently simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
6. Remove loaf from pan after 20 minutes of cooling. Using a toothpick or cake tester, poke holes into the top of the cake - lots of 'em! Brush the syrup over top and sides so that it seeps into the cake. Allow the loaf to cool for another 1½ hours before frosting with glaze.
7. To prepare the glaze, in small mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla bean paste, and salt. Spread over the loaf and allow to drip over the edges and sides. Allow to sit for 20 minutes to harden before serving.