WHITE PEPPER AND GINGER LEMON CAKE

Steps:

• Set an oven rack a third of the way up from the bottom and preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• Thoroughly butter a 10- to 12-cup Bundt (fluted) pan, even if it has a nonstick finish, and include all the crannies of the fluting and the center post; dust all, including the center tube, with fine, dry bread crumbs; invert and tap to shake out excess crumbs; set aside.
• Finely grate the zest of the two lemons; juice the lemons, putting 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice in a cup with the lemon zest; set the rest of the juice aside;add the fresh ginger to the zest-juice mixture and set aside.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and pepper; set aside.
• In the large bowl of the electric mixer, beat the butter until it is soft; add 13/4 cups of the sugar and beat about 1 minute; add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• With the mixer at low speed, add the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the buttermilk (starting and ending with the flour).
• Stir in the lemon-ginger mixture; taste and add more pepper and/or ginger if desired, stirring well; the full amounts of ginger and pepper might be too hot for some folks- if you suspect you're among them, start small and taste a bit of the batter; you can always add.
• Pour and scrape into the prepared pan; Smooth the top by twisting the pan sharply back and forth once.
• Bake 1 hour and 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the middle comes out dry.
• While the cake is in the oven, add to the set-aside lemon juice enough to total 1/3 cup; combine with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar.
• When the cake comes out of the oven, let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Cover with a rack, invert and remove the pan; put the rack and cake over a plate or sheet of waxed paper or foil to catch drips of glaze.
• Stir the glaze mixture and brush it all over the cake, including the inside of the center hole; let stand until cool.
• Use two spatulas to transfer the cake to a serving plate.