January 20, 2014

Limoncello Pound Cake ~ The Cake Slice Bakers January 2014





It is Cake Slice Bakers time - our first for 2014! The votes were cast, tallied up, and the winner was Old-Fashioned Pound Cake.  You just know you can never go wrong with a classic like this, and we had the choice of plain, spirited, nutty, or chocolate chip.  Of course I choose the boozy one :). As you know we are baking from Great Cakes by Carole Walter. So far we have baked some Streusel Squares, an Applesauce Spice Cake, and this Old-Fashioned Pound Cake - and each one has been a winner.  It is an expansive book filled with great recipes and Ms. Walter's expert knowledge, and I'm looking forward to each month's baking challenge.



As soon as I found out that this cake had won the vote I knew what flavor I wanted it to be - lemon.  Also, I had saved a recipe from my friend Kim's blog, Liv Life, for a Limoncello Lemon Cake that I have been meaning to try forever (she also has a recipe for making your own Limoncello) so I thought it would be a great idea to merge this flavor into the pound cake.








This cake is so easy to put together and delivers great flavor.  I did end up with a bit of a crack on the top of the cake, but this really was beneficial when it came to grabbing the glaze that I poured over the top. I did wonder why my cake cracked, and when searching for reason I found this helpful article from the Chicago Tribune. Um, yes, my ingredients may not all have been a room temperature.








Limoncello Pound Cake
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients
Cake ~
  • 2¼ cups sifted cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cut in small cubes
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup Limoncello (or fresh lemon juice)
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
Glaze ~
  • ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons Limoncello (or fresh lemon juice)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Preparation
Cake ~
  1. Preheat oven to 325℉.
  2. In a loaf pan, either spray with nonstick baking spray or butter and dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess.
  3. Sift together the flour baking, powder powder, and salt.  Set aside.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on low speed for 1 minute to soften, then increase speed to medium-high and cream for about 2 minutes, until smooth.
  5. Add the sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, taking about 6 minutes to blend well, and scraping down the bowl occasionally.
  6. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, beating to combine.
  7. Reduce the mixer to low, add the dry ingredients alternating with the liquid, beginning and ending with the flour. After each addition mix only till combined, remembering to scrape down the sides.
  8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
  9. Bake for 60-65 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Check the cake at 45 minutes and if the cake is browning too quickly cover with foil for the remaining time.
  10. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool on a rack for 10-15 minutes, then remove from pan and continue to cool on rack.
Glaze ~
  1. Add the powdered sugar to a small bowl, add the limoncello, lemon zest, and stir to combine.
  2. Once the cake is cool, drizzle the glaze over the cake.

Cake adapted from Great Cakes by Carole Walter, inspiration also from Liv Life.








You can check out all of the Old-Fashioned Pound Cakes made by my fellow Cake Slice Bakers by clicking here, or just click on the pictures below. Also, remember to come and join us on our Facebook page where we share not only each months cake but also baking tips and other goodies that have been baked by our members.


17 comments:

  1. Gorgeous cake, Felice. Great idea to add Limoncello!

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  2. Oh wow, Felice...such a lovely cake! Limoncello was a fantastic idea for this cake. And the glaze makes it all that much better! I'm glad you enjoyed it! : )

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  3. Oh yum! You chose wisely--limoncello is fantastic and in a pound cake? Even better!

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  4. What a lovely presentation and lemon glaze!! Looks super delish!

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  5. Oh. my. Word. This is it... this is everything. I am making this tonight. Hazel x

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  6. I LOVE lemon what a great choice! It looks fantastic, glad you enjoyed it! Laura@baking in pyjamas

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  7. love the Limoncello drizzle. shall try it one day!

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  8. Your cake looks wonderful. Now I need to try a limoncello version too.

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  9. The glaze looks incredible! I think this cake totally needs something to help it along..a glaze is perfect!

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  10. Wow! Love it! Your cake looks really great! Limoncello seems to have taken this cake to a whole new level! Great job!

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  11. I have some limoncello in the fridge - this looks like a great way to use some! And definitely good to know about the ingredients being at room temp causing cracking...

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  12. Felice, I love this limoncello version of yours. I'm sure it brought the pound cake to another higher level in terms of taste. It looks extremely awesome too. Honestly, I haven't baked a pound cake without a crack in the middle. I guess it could just be normal as the heat rises up? Nevertheless, crack or not, it will be gone in a jiffy!

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  13. Lemon pound cakes are the best! And the glaze on top is just perfect. Nicely done :)

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  14. Such a brilliant idea of flavoring this cake with lemon! Limoncello is so special too!

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  15. Oh lemon pound cake is one of my favorites! In my house one of my boys usually gets the end piece but looking at your cake with that wonderful glaze puddling - I would have taken them on for the end slice! Ha!
    Wonderful cake!

    :)
    Holly

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  16. This looks really moist. And I am salivating at the thought of Limoncello!!!

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