The Simple Secret to an Ultra-Velvety Lemon Pound Cake with a Tangy Glaze

Despite modern cuisine being more popular among people across the world, some authentic and pretty old recipes remain relevant for those trying to get the taste of history. This might be the case for the lemon pound cake, the name of which comes from the principle of putting exactly one pound of each ingredient into a bowl and then stir everything to get the most delicious zesty cake.

If you’ve been feeling like celebrating something in an authentic English way recently, here’s an idea for your evening with friends or family.

Ingredients: 1 cup (240 ml) of flour, 1 cup of granulated sugar, 3 large eggs, 112 g (1/2 cup) of butter, 1/2 tsp of baking powder, 1/4 tsp of salt, 2 tbsp of lemon zest, 3/4 tsp of vanilla sugar, 2 tbsp of milk, 2 tbsp of lemon juice.

For the glaze: 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice.

For the glazed lemons: 2 small lemons, 250 g of sugar.

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Grease a baking pan with butter and dust it with flour. To ensure the surface is evenly coated with flour, shake the pan while rotating it gently.

In a separate bowl, gently whisk together the sifted flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest.

Using a mixer and another bowl, beat the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy (about 2 minutes). Add the eggs to the butter one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour in two portions, beating the batter until smooth after each addition.

Dissolve the vanilla sugar in the milk with lemon juice, add to the dough, and beat again for a few seconds.

Pour the dough into the pan. Tap the pan lightly on the table to distribute the dough evenly. Bake until light golden brown, 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on your oven. Test the cake for doneness with a toothpick; it should come out moist but clean. Don’t overbake the cake, or it will turn out dry.

Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes (it's important!). Remove from the pan and let it cool completely before slicing.

Start making glazed lemons. Place the lemon slices in a saucepan. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil, then drain the water. Repeat this 4 times. In another saucepan, pour 250 ml of water, add sugar, bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the lemon slices and simmer until tender and translucent (for 35–40 minutes). Place the slices on parchment paper. Let them cool.

For the glaze, mix powdered sugar with lemon juice and pour it over the cooled cake. Garnish with glazed lemons.