ITALIAN POUND CAKE

Italian Pound Cake image

We love a lemon cake recipe, and this refreshing, moist lemon cake is delicious! Packed with lemon flavor, this lemon cake recipe isn't overly sweet which we loved. This would be great for a brunch, after a special occasion, or maybe even a special treat with a cup of morning coffee. So good!

Provided by Jim Frigyes

Time 1h45m

Number Of Ingredients 16

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Ingredients

1 1/2 c cake flour
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
8 oz cream cheese, softened at room temperature
2 stick (1 cup) butter, softened at room temperature
1/2 c shortening
3 c white sugar
6 eggs, at room temperature
1 Tbsp lemon zest - add to batter
1 Tbsp lemon extract
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c milk, at room temperature (depending on weather you may only need 1/4 cup milk - look at consistency, should be thick but smooth)
LEMON GLAZE
1 1/2 c confectioners' sugar
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Steps:

1. * Do not preheat oven. Butter & flour a 10" bundt pan - set aside.
2. Sift together flours, salt, & baking powder; then set aside.
3. Using mixer - cream together the butter, shortening, sugar & cream cheese until light & fluffy. *If using a stand mixer - let this beat together for awhile while you are preparing the next steps.
4. Add extracts & mix to combine. Begin to whisk in eggs - 2 at a time making sure they fully incorporate before adding the next set of eggs.
5. Whisk in flour mixture alternating between the milk. Always beginning with the flour & ending with the flour. Mixing just until incorporated - over mixing at this point will make for a tough cake.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan, put pan in oven & set temperature to 350 degrees. Bake cake between 1 & 1.5 hours or until cake tester comes out clean. Begin watching cake after 45 minutes - if top begins to over brown - tent with foil for the remaining baking time. Begin to test cake at the 50-minute mark. Depending on your oven (gas/electric) the cake will cook faster/slower. You don't want to overcook this cake or it will be very dry & crumbly.
7. Allow cake to cool in pan for 15-30 minutes then remove from pan & cool on wire rack.
8. Once cool - mix powdered sugar & lemon juice together & drizzle over the top of the cake.
9. Notes: *You can cook this in any pan you like - doesn't have to be a bundt pan - you can use 2 loaf pans too. *You can use all butter in place of shortening if you like. *If you do not have cake flour you can use all, all-purpose flour instead. *When testing your cake - if a few crumbs stick to your toothpick/tester it's good to go -- just as long as there is no raw batter stuck to it.