In keeping with the “this could be us but you Florida” theme of my fall, today I whipped up a citrusy take on a pound cake. Pound cake, of the same family as banana bread which is NOT fooling anyone, is essentially just loaf-shaped cake but it at least has the decency to call itself cake. I re-discovered that I love (LOVE) lemon curd after spying it at Trader Joe’s last week and thinking, at that moment in my life, there was nothing on Earth that I needed more than that tangy, lemony goodness.
So I bought it! Then realized shortly thereafter it would lend itself well to many, many baking applications – and there was must rejoicing. A note on this recipe – it is pretty much imperative to use a food processor to make it because you can’t beat how well it emulsifies the butter. Of course back in the day new-fangled contraptions such as food processors didn’t exist but…this recipe *is* new-fangled, so we’ll use that to our advantage. I don’t consider using store-bought lemon curd to be cheating because I can’t turn down convenience, and this was a quick fix for my lemon-cake hankerin’.
TAKE THAT, HISTORY!
Lemon Curd Pound Cake
INGREDIENTS
CAKE:
- 1 1/2 cup cake flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted and still hot
- 2 tbsp lemon curd
TOPPING:
DIRECTIONS
- Place an oven rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease and flour a load pan (8.5×4.5 inches), or spray it with Baker’s Joy. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl
- Combine the sugar, vanilla, eggs, and lemon curd in a food processor (or blender! That will also work for the purpose of this recipe). After combined, and with the machine running, pour the melted butter through the lid opening in a steady stream until combined, roughly 30 seconds. Pour the combined mixture into a large bowl.
Wet ingredients, ready for processin’ - Using a sifter or fine-mesh strainer, sift about 1/3 of the flour mixture over the egg mixture and whisk to combine until still slightly streaky with flour. Repeat until the whole mixture has been combined, then keep gently whisking until most big lumps are gone – be careful not to overmix
I like to think of it as a flour galaxy. - Pour batter into prepared loaf plan, wiping any drops of stray batter off the side of the pan. Tap the pan on the counter to settle the batter and get rid of internal air pockets. Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs on it, rotating halfway through.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then run a small knife around the outside of the cake to loosen. Turn the cake out onto a wire cooling rack, then flip it right side up. While the cake is still warm, spread the 3 tablespoons of lemon curd on the top and around the sides of the cake. Let cool fully for 2 hours, then serve.
- Cut into slices and enjoy with coffee. Or milk! Or alone under the cover of darkness. Just as long as you enjoy it 🙂
Glazed, a lil extra powdered sugar design on top – ready for noms
As always, enjoy!
The War On Fondant 
