Lemon-soaked Pound Cake with Fruit and Chantilly Cream
Lemon juice, peach schnapps, and buttermilk give a tangy taste to rich pound cake. Nancy Forrest serves hers with fresh fruit and cream, but the cake could be served simply dusted with confectioners’ sugar, or with a raspberry coulis on the side, as well.
Ingredients
- Cake
- All-Purpose Flour - 1-1/2 cups
- Baking Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
- Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
- Butter - 3/4 cup unsalted, sweet, softened
- Granulated Sugar - 1 cup
- Eggs - 3 large, at room temperature
- Lemon peel - 1 tablespoon, chopped, grated
- Lemon Juice - 1 ounce
- Buttermilk - 1-1/2 ounces, at room temperature
- Lemon Syrup
- Sugar - 1/2 cup
- Lemon Juice - 1/2 cup
- Peach Schnapps - 1 ounce
- Fruit
- Sugar - 1/3 cup
- Water - 1/4 cup
- Plums - 3, pitted
- Peaches - 2, pitted
- Nectarines - 2, pitted
- Lemon Juice - 1/4 cup
- Black Berries - 1 pint
- Blueberries - 1 pint
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
- Chantilly Cream (recipe follows)
- Chantilly Cream
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 1 cup
- Vanilla Extract - 1/2 teaspoon
- Confectioners’ Sugar - 2 teaspoons
Instructions
To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter, flour, and line a 3-inch-by-8-inch or similar loaf pan with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixer. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides, then slowly begin to beat again. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each in completely between each addition. Add the lemon zest, beat again, and scrape down the bowl.
Mix the lemon juice with the buttermilk. Again, slow the mixer and alternately add the flour mixture and the liquid, beating completely between each addition. Increase the speed to high and beat for an additional minute to aerate the mixture, building the structure of the cake. Wipe down the sides with a spatula and beat for 30 seconds. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, filling it half full. Bake 45 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. While the cake is baking, prepare the lemon syrup.
To make the lemon syrup: Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to simmer and heat until the sugar dissolves. Turn off the heat and let stand.
To finish: When the cake comes out of the oven, use a wooden skewer or similar item and poke holes in the top of the cake. Drizzle half the syrup over the cake. Let stand for 15 minutes, then turn out the cake on a sheet of plastic wrap and poke holes in the bottom of the cake. Pour the remaining syrup over the bottom of the cake. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 1 to 2 hours.
To prepare the fruit: Combine the sugar and water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute, then cool. (This simple syrup can be refrigerated and kept indefinitely.) Slice the plums, peaches, and nectarines. Toss with the lemon juice and simple syrup and let them stand at room temperature.
To serve: Unwrap the cake and slice at least one inch thick, then cut each slice on the diagonal into two wedges. Dust the plates with powdered sugar. Place one wedge of cake in the center of each plate, point up. Spoon on some of the marinated fruit, and sprinkle berries over the fruit. Top with a second wedge of cake and spoon some of the juice from the fruit over the cake. Add a dollop of chantilly cream to each.
Chantilly Cream
Put all ingredients together in a mixing bowl and beat at high speed until the cream holds its shape. Refrigerate until ready to use.
