by Roxan Finnell

Created on: July 10, 2008

Try a change from plain old pound cake with the fresh and refreshing taste of lemon pound cake. Serve it simple or serve it elegant, Lemon pound cake can go from being a simple family dessert to a nice dessert for a dinner party.

1 1/2 (3 sticks) butter or margarine
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 1/2 cups cake flour
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons lemon peel
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon hot water
(mix the last three ingredients together)

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring after each addition. Add lemon juice and peel. Add flour and buttermilk mixture, alternately using flour first and last. Bake in tube pan for 1 1/2 hours at 325. Leave in pan.

Mix together the juice of one lemon, 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons water
Bring to a boil an cook until sugar melts. Poke holes in cake and pour mixture over. Let cool in pan. Carefully remove from pan.

Serving suggestions:

Add two tablespoons poppy seed to batter before baking.

Add 1/2 cup dried blueberries to batter before baking.

For extra lemon flavor add one teaspoon lemon extract to batter before baking.

Top slice of cake with lemon sherbet or lemon ice.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, lemon curd or lemon hard sauce. Garnish with a fresh mint leaf, lemon twist or candied lemon peel.

Make a lemon pound cake sandwich by putting soft cream cheese on one piece of cake and top with a second piece of cake.

Homemade Lemon Curd:

1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into bits
3 eggs, slightly beaten

Mix sugar, lemon peel and lemon juice in heavy saucepan. Stir in butter an eggs. Cook over medium heat about eight minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and coats back of spoon. Do not boil. Immediately pour into one pint container. Store covered in refrigerator. Makes two cups curd. Use within two months.

Besides using for the pound cake, lemon curd makes a great spread for toast.

Lemon Ice:

3 cups water
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1/4 cup lemon juice

Bring water to boil and stir in sugar until dissolved. Cool, then add lemon peel and juice. Freeze in ice cream maker or metal bowl in freezer.

Lemon Hard Sauce:

5 tablespoons butter
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

Cream the butter, then slowly add sugar, beating well with mixer until creamy. Add lemon juice and rind, blend. Cover and refrigerate until used.

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