Lemon Pound Cake with Fruit Sauce
Like many of Chef Bradley Ogden’s creations, this elegant dessert is an updated American classic. The pound cake, scented with lemon, is paired with a sophisticated fruit sauce flavored with kirsch. Both the cake and the sauce can be prepared up to 2 days in advance; keep the cake tightly covered and refrigerate the sauce. Warm the sauce slightly before serving.
Ingredients
- Cake
- Soft unsalted butter - 1 cup (2 sticks)
- Sugar - 2-2/3 cups
- Eggs - 6, at room temperature
- Unbleached All-purpose flour - 3 cups, sifted
- Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
- Baking Soda - 1/4 teaspoon
- Sour cream or creme fraiche - 1 cup
- Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon
- Grated zest of 2 lemons
- Sauce
- Mixed fresh berries - 1-1/2 cups
- Honey - 3 tablespoons
- Kirsch - 1 tablespoon
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
- Vanilla Extract - 1/2 teaspoon
- Cold Water - 2 tablespoons
- Fresh Figs - 12, halved
- Ripe peaches - 2, peeled and sliced
- Nectarines - 2, peeled and sliced
- Strawberries - 1-1/2 cups, washed and hulled
- Raspberries - 1-1/2 cups (alt. apricots, blueberries, blackberries)
- Water - 6 tablespoons
- Sugar - 6 tablespoons
- Juice and zest of 4 lemons
- Kirsch - 6 tablespoons
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 1 cup, beaten to soft peaks
Instructions
To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch tube pan with parchment, then butter and flour the paper and the sides of the pan. In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the eggs, one at a time, an continue to beat until the mixture is silky and smooth. Sift the dry ingredients together and alternate adding the dry ingredients and the sour cream to the mixture in 3 additions. Beat until smooth. Add the vanilla and lemon zest and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven. Let stand for 5 minutes, then turn out of the pan and cool on a rack.
To prepare the sauce: Puree the first 6 ingredients in a blender or food processor. Strain and pour over the sliced fruit. In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, lemon juice, zest, and kirsch. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Add to the fruit puree mixture.
To serve: Place a slice of cake on each plate. Spoon fruit and sauce around the cake, and a little sauce over it. Top each with a dollop of whipped cream.
