All That's Left Are The Crumbs: Lemony Half Pound Cake ~#TheCakeSliceBakers

A lemony half-pound cake is a moist, dense, and buttery cake with a bright, zesty lemon flavor. The "half-pound" refers to the traditional balance of ingredients - typically a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour - but in this case, the proportions are adjusted to create a lighter, more delicate texture while still maintaining a rich flavor.

The Cake Slice Bakers are excited to announce the new cake-centric cookbook they will bake through in 2024 - The Cake Book: Beautiful Sweet Treats for Every Craving by Rebecca Firth. You may know Rebecca from the Saveur-nominated blog, Displaced Housewife. The Cake Book is a delicious collection of mouthwatering recipes that will fulfill all of your cake needs for any occasion with breakfast cakes, petite cakes, Bundt cakes, snacking cakes and stunning layered cakes.

The Cake Slice Bakers are a group of dedicated bakers who all love cake. Each year we choose a new cake-centric cookbook and bake our way through it. Every month we are given 3 choices and on the 20th day of each month we reveal what we have chosen on our blogs. As this is the final cake that the The Cake Slice Bakers are baking from this book we have free choice. After looking through all of the recipes I went with a Lemony Half Pound Cake.

This cake was a great way to end this journey. It was the perfect mix of tart lemon and buttery pound cake. As you can see I decided not to make the boozy berries, and instead make a lemon icing to drizzle over the top instead. I will probably bake this cake again closer to summer as the idea of the boozy berries appeals to me, but the cost of the berries at this time of the year in Hawaii did not.

Lemony Half Pound Cake

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

Cake ~

225g (16 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
225g (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
4g (2 tablespoons) lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
4 large eggs, room temperature
160g (⅔ cup) sour cream, room temperature
75ml (⅓ cup) water, room temperature
235g (1¾ cup) all-purpose flour
8g (1½ teaspoon) baking powder
6g (1 teaspoon) sea salt

Boozy Berries ~

55ml (¼ cup) hot water
50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
5 large mint leaves, divided
14ml (1 tablespoon) orange-flavored liquor, such as Cointreau (optional)
455g (16 ounces) blackberries, boysenberries and blueberries (or any berry combination)

Whipped cream ~

480ml (2 cups) heavy whipping cream
35g (5 tablespoons) confectioners’ sugar

Preparation
Cake ~

Preheat the oven to 180℃ (350℉).
Spray a 23 x 13cm (9x5 inch) loaf pan and line with parchment paper, letting the excess hang over the sides (you’ll use it to pull the loaf out of the pan).
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, sugar and lemon zest and mix on medium for 4 to 5 minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy.
With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, making sure that each is well blended before adding in the next, periodically scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is well blended.
Take the bowl out of the mixer and set aside.
In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream and water; set aside.
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Alternate adding the flour and the sour cream mixture to the butter, mixing until just combined.
Pour into the prepared pan, tapping on the counter to release any trapped air bubbles and smoothing the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
Bake in the center of the oven for 55 to 60 minutes.
Let cool for 5 minutes and then use the parchment overhang to take the cake out of the pan to finish cooking on a rack.

Boozy Berries ~

Combine the hot water and sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Add three mint leaves and the liquor (if using) and set aside to cool completely, discard the mint if it’s darkened.
Julienne the remaining mint and toss with the berries and mint simple syrup.
Set aside for at least 15 to 30 minutes or until the berries have softened a bit and have started to release their juices.

Whipped Cream ~

Place the cold heavy whipping cream in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Whisk on medium until soft peaks form.
Sprinkle the confectioners’ sugar over the top and whisk until soft peaks return, taking care to not over-beat the cream.

Assembly ~

Place the cake on a serving plate and mound the whipped cream high.
Spoon the berries over the top and service immediately.

Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is The Cake Book: Beautiful Sweet Treats for Every Craving by Rebecca Firth. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!

Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the links below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.

The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.

This is our last cake from The Cake Book: Beautiful Sweet Treats for Every Craving, which we have enjoyed baking through. Traditionally our last bake for the year is free choice, and our choices for December 2024 were ~

Lemony Half Pound Cake