Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cut (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups sugar
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature (see Note, page 32)
- 1 teaspoon, vanilla extract
- Grated zest of 2 lemons
- 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
- Lemon Syrup
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup water
- ⅔ cup sugar
Preparation
Step 1
To make the cake, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a 10-inch fluted tube (Bundt) pan, and tap out the excess flour.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together; set aside. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a hand-held electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla and zest. On low speed, add the flour in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour, and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl often with a rubber spatula. Spread evenly in the pan.
Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 ¼ hours.
Meanwhile, make the syrup. Bring the lemon juice, zest, water, and sugar, to a boil over high heat and cook until it is reduced to ½ cup, about 15 minutes. Allow syrup to cool before drizzling onto the cake.
Transfer the cake to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Drizzle half of the syrup over the cake. Invert onto the rack and brush with the remaining syrup. Cool completely
Notes:
Sour cream is the secret ingredient in many a pound cake. This one is based on a lemon pound cake from my family's recipe collection.