This recipe is claimed to be the authentic recipe for the famous Ritz Carlton Hotel 1920’s Tea Room Lemon Pound Cake. This recipe is one of those lent down from generation to generation, so it is hard to tell, but either way, it is scrumptious. You won’t regret trying it. I have been using this recipe for years now; it makes a delicious lemon snack cake or dessert and is always a big hit at potlucks; it makes a perfect gift too. When I found this recipe, I knew I had to try it because if you know something about baking, you can tell by the process it is done right.
Pound Cake is one of those classic baking recipes every home chef needs in their recipe book. Originating in the 1700s, this recipe called for a pound each of flour, sugar, butter, and eggs. As you can imagine, that was a dense cake. It would seem like the amount of heavy, wet ingredients in this cake; 5 eggs, milk, and a cup and a half of butter and vegetable shortening — would weigh it down or cause it not to rise. However, the magic happens in the baking process, resulting in a delicious fluffy cake with a delicate crumb that melts in your mouth with each bite!
Still, the recipe did not even say the temperature for baking or time, so I went into test kitchen mode and did the homework for you; I believe these specifications gave the best result. You can infuse this cake easily; if you want a noticeable infusion, you can substitute the 1 cup of unsalted butter with 1 cup of infused butter or go lighter with only 1/2 and 1/2.
If you had tried baking pound cakes before and failed, here are some baking tips to keep in mind that can really make a difference and help you achieve a great result:
Sift all the dry ingredients. You can sift them together to help incorporate each one more evenly. Even if the flour looks loose and has no clumps, sift it! Sifting’s purpose is not only to break lumps but also to add air to the flour, which will add airiness to the cake; the more air you incorporate, the fluffier the cake will be. Some recipes call for sifting the flour more than once, sometimes up to three times.
Measure all the ingredients carefully beforehand, and have them at room temperature, especially the butter and eggs, in this case, to prevent lumps.
For a tender cake, don’t over-mix the batter. Mix on low speed and until ingredients are just incorporated.
Add the sifted dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with flour. (you always want to start with the dry ingredients and end with the dry ingredients when alternating with the wet ingredients.) Mix just until combined after each addition.
Bake on your middle oven rack, and start checking at the 55-minute mark, but if the top isn’t even golden brown, don’t open your oven yet. (I know it is hard to open and close the oven to check a cake before it’s done and causes it to fall, but resist the temptation and trust the process.)
Grease and flour the cake pan so that the cake doesn’t stick to the sides and unmolds easily. A tube cake pan has two pieces, making it easier to unmold the cake.
Cool the cake before removing it from the pan. Do NOT remove the cake from the mold right out of the oven; the warm cake will be kind of stuck because of the temperature (it is called thermal expansion, heat expands, cold contracts most matter). Once it cools down (about 15 minutes), it will set and contract a little, making it way easier to remove from the pan without breaking. Once removed, let cool completely in a rack before frosting or glazing.
Now, let’s get baking!
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3 cups of sugar
1 cup softened unsalted butter
1/2 shortening (room temp)
5 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
6 tbsp lemon juice
zest of one whole lemon
Method:
Preheat oven to 350F
Spray or butter and flour two loaf pans or one large bundt pan.
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, shortening and sugar. You will see the color change into a lighter cream color. Add eggs one by one, blend until thoroughly combined after each one, then add the other, and so on.
Add the dry ingredients in three additions to the butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture; beat at low speed just until blended, and don’t overwork. If you over-mix it you will get a tough cake.
Mix in the lemon juice and zest.
Pour batter into prepared pans—Bake cake for about 55 minutes at 350F.
Cool cakes in pan for 15 minutes, then unmold and let cool completely on a rack. It is essential not to try to unmold straight out of the oven.
*Most matter expands when heated and contracts when cooled, a principle called thermal expansion. The average kinetic energy of the particles increases when the matter is heated, and this increase in motion increases the average distance between its atoms. So yes, it is essential to let it rest for 15 minutes and then unmold and completely cool down.
Garnish with a light dust of confectioners sugar or a glaze and top with fresh lemon zest. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, and enjoy!
