Lemon Pound Cake With Persian Sweet Lemons

Based loosely on the Serious Eats Lemon Pound Cake recipe. Enjoy alongside this video

Ingredients:

Cake:

- 2 sticks of butter (softened)

- 200g sugar

- 198g cake flour (or 198g regular flour, take out 3 tbsp of it and replace with 3tbsp cornstarch)

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 4 eggs (room temp)

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 0.5 tsp salt

- 30ml (2 tbsp) milk or heavy cream

- Zest of 2 Persian lemons (about 2tbsp)

- 1 tbsp Persian lemon juice

Sizzurp:

- 1/4 cup white sugar

- 1/8 cup Persian lemon juice

- 1/8 cup regular lemon juice

Glaze:

- 1/2 cup powdered sugar

- scant 1 tbsp Persian lemon juice

Make the cake:

1) Get 3 bowls and a stand mixer. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x3 baking loaf pan

2) In the biggest bowl put the sugar and the lemon zest together. Rub it with your fingers for like 30 seconds until it gets fragrant. Set it aside.

3) In the second biggest bowl, sift the flour and the baking powder together

4) In the smallest bowl, crack 4 eggs and beat them together with the vanilla until combined

5) In the stand mixer, cream the butter with the salt on medium-high until it's real nice and whippy light (about 2-3 min)

6) Reduce the speed and gradually pour in all the lemon-sugar. When it's all in, crank back up to medium-high and whip until it's light (5-8 min)

7) Reduce he speed and trickle in the egg mixture. Then crank the speed back up to medium high and beat for 5 min (it'll look a little messy and separate but that's fine)

8) Turn down the speed. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture. When it's just incorporated, add milk and lemon juice and let it incorporate. Then add the rest of the flour 1/3 at a time.

9) Turn up the speed to medium and mix just until the mixture is smooth.

10) Spread batter into the pan. Bake for 1 hour (if the top of the cake gets real dark before it's done baking, tent with tinfoil at the latter half of baking time)

While the cake is baking, make the sizzurp:

1) Add lemon juices and sugar into a pan. Heat up on medium high and let simmer for 2 min. Set aside.

2) When the cake comes out of the oven, cool for 10 min on rack before lifting out of the pan while it's still hot).

3) Brush sizzurp all over top and sides of cake generously.

When the cake is all cool, make the glaze:

1) Mix powdered sugar and juice together.

2) Pour on top of cake, letting it run down the sides in a picturesque fashion.