Citrus & Sour Cream Pound Cake 🍋🍊🍈

This delicious cake is fragrant, light & moist!

Cake Ingredients:

1 tablespoon shortening (I use butter flavored)

3 tablespoons flour for dusting

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan or sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest**

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest**

2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest**

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 1/4 cups sugar

4 eggs, at room temerature

Glaze Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Method:

Preheat oven to 350*. Thoroughly grease the inside of a bundt cake pan. Dust with flour and tap out the extra. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.

In a smaller bowl, stir together the sour cream, vanilla and lime, lemon and orange zests. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer, on medium-high speed, for 3 minutes. (The mixture will be light and fluffy.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the eggs one at a time, mix well on low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl before adding each egg.

Add the flour mixture and the sour cream mixture alternately into the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix on low after each addition, being careful not to overmix. 

Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared cake pan. Place the pan on a baking sheet with sides. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Insert a pick into the middle of the cake after 50 minutes. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If it comes out wet, return the cake to the oven and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.

PLace a cooling rack in or on top of a baking sheet with sides. When the cake has finished baking, transfer to a cooling rack. Cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes. 

Use a butter knife to carefully loosen the sides of the cake from the pan. Invert onto the cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before topping with the glaze.

Whisk together the powdered sugar, juice, vanilla and zest until the mixture is smooth. Spoon or pour over the top of the cake and serve. (For a thicker glaze, use a little less lemon juice.) Serves 12

The baking sheet under the rack catches
any glaze that runs off of the cake. I used
a spatula to gather the runoff and
redrizzled it over the top of the cake.

**When I purchase bags of lemons, limes and oranges, I zest and then juice the fruits. I freeze 1 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon portions of the zest in little plastic condiment to go containers with lids. I freeze the juice in ice cube trays and then transfer to a freezer storage bag or container. Then, I always have zest and juice on hand when I need it. 😀

Notes: 

My husband's favorite cakes are lemony ones and I had 1 cup of sour cream that I needed to use, so I baked this simple cake. It didn't disappoint and he was very pleased with the flavor, texture and how moist it was!

This cake is wonderful on its own, but would also pair nicely with fresh berries and whipped cream.