Glazed Lemon Pound Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is another lovely cake that's perfect to use as a base for summer berries. The recipe was develop by Piper Davis for inclusion in the Grand Central Baking Book. While the recipe, as it was originally published, appears below, I made a few changes to the cake I made for my family. It was my intention to serve the cake with blackberries, so I swapped orange zest for the lemon that was called for in the original recipe. I also eliminated the glaze that soaks into the cake when it is released from the pan. I replaced it with a loose icing that's made with a combination of confectioners' sugar and orange flavoring. The lemon version of this cake is delicious, but we've had a lot of the lemon-blueberry combination these past few weeks and I thought a little variety would be good for the soul. About this time every summer, I start to dream of naked melons and plain fruit. My tolerance for sweets, which is never very high, ebbs at this time of year. It's temporary, I know, but I can't wait to taste those Oregon melons and the first of the summer apples. In the meantime, I'm surrounded by folks who really enjoy sweet things and I aim to please. This is a lovely cake that I know will bring lemon lovers to their knees. If your tastes run to the tart-sweet, you'll love this cake. I hope you'll give it a try. Here's the recipe.

Glazed Lemon Pound Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Grand Central Baking Book

Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour (1 lb. 4 oz.)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 stick unsalted butter room temperature
2-1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs room temperature
1-1/4 cup buttermilk room temperature
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons lemon zest finely chopped

Glaze

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons water

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour a 10-inch tube pan.
Measure dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine.
2) Using a stand mixture with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium high seed until mixture is very light in color (almost white) and texture is fluffy, about 6 minutes. Scrape bottom and sides of mixing bowl several times to ensure butter is evenly incorporated.
3) Crack eggs into a liquid measuring cup and, with mixer on low speed, slowly add eggs,letting them fall into the bowl one at a time and incorporating each egg completely before adding the next. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl.
4) Measure buttermilk and lemon juice into a liquid measure and stir in lemon zest. With mixer on low speed, add one-third of dry ingredients, then half of buttermilk mixture, mixing just until combined after each addition. Repeat, using half of remaining dry ingredients and all of remaining buttermilk. Add remaining dry ingredients and stop mixing before fully incorporated. Finish mixing by hand, using a sturdy spatula and being sure to scrape up from bottom of bowl.
4) Scrape batter into prepared tube pan and use spatula to smooth surface of batter. Run a paring knife through batter in one smooth motion, 1-inch from the edge of the pan to help cake rise evenly. Bake 45 minutes, rotate pan and reduce temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake 30 to 35 more minutes. The cake is ready when it pulls away from edges of the pan slightly and springs back when pressed lightly in center. The top will probably split. Use a cake tester to check doneness.
5) While the cake is baking prepare glaze. Combine granulated sugar, lemon juice and water in a small pan set over medium-high heat. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until glaze thickens and becomes syrupy, about 4 to 5 minutes.
6) Remove cake from oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Loosen sides and around tube with a knife. Invert cake onto rack and quickly turn it over so top side of cake is facing up. Using a skewer, poke holes in top of cake. Slowly pour glaze over top of cake. When glaze has been absorbed transfer cake to a serving plate. Cool completely before serving. Yield: 15 to 16 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Prawn Curry

Two Years Ago Today: Sweet Potato Biscuits

Three Years Ago Today: Chicken and Rice Salad Veracruz

Cream Cheese Apple Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I know I'm pushing apples before the berry season has ended, but I so liked this cake that I carried it from one coast to another, so my family could sample and enjoy it. A single bite will help you understand why I'm so enthusiastic about this confection. It is the creation of Piper Davis and I found it in her book, The Grand Central Baking Book. Her bakery was named one of the 10 best in the country by Bon Appetit magazine, so her credentials are stellar and her book is worth more than a passing glance. This cake is versatile as well as delicious. It can take any shape you wish, as long as you don't overfill the pans. To prevent batter overflow, fill your pan, or pans, only 2/3 full. Let me warn you ahead of time, that a 12-cup bundt pan is not large enough to hold the batter for this cake. A larger bundt pan can, of course, be used, but I prefer to make the cake in loaf pans. While you lose the graceful beauty of a  perfectly baked bundt, slices from a loaf cake are more practical and much prettier on the table. I used Golden Delicious apples to make this cake but any well-flavored apple can be substituted. For best results, have all the ingredients you'll be using at room temperature. In my parlance, that means the butter, cream cheese and eggs have been sitting on the counter for about two hours before I start to make the mix and bake the cake. The finished creation is moist and velvety and it has a faint tang that comes from the cream cheese that is in the batter. The cake keeps well for several days and its flavor actually improves if it is allowed to sit for a day before serving. I know you those of you who try this cake will really like it. This is a keeper of the first magnitude, and, yes, it makes my socks go up and down. I love this cake! Here's how it is made.

Cream Cheese Apple Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Piper Davis and the Grand Central Baking Book

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2-1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/4 pounds tart apples, peeled and diced (about 3 cups)
Confectioners' sugar, for garnish

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour two (9 x 5 x 2-inch) loaf pans.
2) Sift flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together and set aside.
3) Put butter, cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat ingredients on medium-high speed until mixture is very light in color — almost white — and texture is fluffy, about 6 to 8 minutes. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl once during the process to insure that butter is evenly incorporated.
4) Crack eggs into a liquid measure and add vanilla. With mixer on low speed, slowly pour mixture into bowl allowing eggs to fall in one at a time. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl.
5) Add sifted dry ingredients on low speed; stop mixing as soon as flour is incorporated. Fold apples in by hand using a stiff spatula and scrape batter into prepared pan.
6) Place pans in the middle of oven and bake 60-75 minutes rotating pans halfway through baking time. When cake is finished, a wooden skewer inserted in the middle should come out clean. Allow cakes to cool 15 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely and cover with a thick dusting of confectioners' sugar. Yield: 16 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Marinated Bean Salad - A Marcella Hazan Recipe

Two Years Ago Today: Pastitsio - Lamb and Eggplant Casserole

Three Years Ago Today: Prize Winning Shrimp N' Noodle Bowls