Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Poppy Seed Buttercream
Baking
Ingredients
For the Cake:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
zest of 1 large lemon
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and pod discarded (or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
For the Buttercream:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
splash of milk or cream as needed for consistency
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Directions
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan. If you don’t have a springform pan, a regular 9-inch cake pan will also be fine. Just make sure that the cake pan has high sides (3-inches or so). Set aside the greased pan.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using an electric hand mixer) beat the butter until pliable and soft, about 1 minute.
In a small bowl toss together sugar and lemon zest using the back of a small spoon. The sugar will become moist and super fragrant.
Add the sugar to the butter and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Mixture will be pale in color.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in the vanilla extract once all of the eggs are mixed in. The batter may look curdled. That’s ok!
Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat on low speed until almost incorporated. Add the lemon juice and beat to combine. Stop the mixer and finish combining the batter with a wooden spoon or spatula. Scrape down the bottom of the bowl to make sure you’ve completely incorporated all of the ingredients.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth. Allow to bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing from the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the frosting, cream together the butter, 2 cups of powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-ugh until smooth and creamy. Add up to a cup more powdered sugar to thicken the consistency. Add a splash of milk or cream for a thinner consistency. I prefer my buttercream not too thick as to not tear the cake when frosting. Once you get your consistency where you’d like it, beat in the poppy seeds. Add a touch of yellow food die if you’d like.
Spoon and spread the buttercream over the completely cooled cake. Don’t worry about frosting the sides. Leave them bare. Allow the cake the rest in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. Cake will last, well wrapped at room temperature, for up to 4 days.