Martha Stewart's Whole-Lemon Pound Cake With Pomegranate Glaze
Food52
Photo by Johnny Miller
- Serves
- 10
- Prep Time
- 56 Minutes
- Cook Time
- 2 Hours 5 Minutes
Move over, lemon zest: This cake gets a whole lemon—boiled, chopped, then stirred, pith and all, into the batter. It’s somehow more intensely lemony yet less sharp than zest and juice alone. A pomegranate joins the fun—the juice tints the glaze pink, while the seeds are scattered across the top. —Martha Stewart
Ingredients
- 1 lemon
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
- 1 2/3 cup cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- The glaze
- 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2 to 4 teaspoon 100% pomegranate juice
- 2 teaspoon whole milk (optional)
- 1/3 cup pomegranate arils (seeds)
Featured Video
Martha Stewart's Whole-Lemon Pound Cake With Pomegranate Glaze
Reprinted with permission from Martha Stewart's Fruit Desserts. Copyright © 2021 by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, LPAll rights reserved. Published by Clarkson Potter an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
Directions
- Step 1
In a medium saucepan, cover whole lemon by at least 3 inches of water. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until lemon is tender, about 30 minutes; drain, pat dry, and let cool. When cool enough to handle, roughly chop lemon, removing any visible seeds. Pulse in a food processor until finely chopped.
- Step 2
Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter a 41/2-by-81/2-inch loaf pan; dust with flour, tapping out any excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Step 3
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in vanilla. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with chopped lemon and beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating until just incorporated.
- Step 4
Transfer batter to prepared pan, smoothing top with an offset spatula. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 1 hour 25 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool 30 minutes. Turn out cake onto rack to cool completely.
- Step 5
Make the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and 2 teaspoons pomegranate juice. Add up to 2 more teaspoons pomegranate juice, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until glaze is thick yet pourable. (For a lighter pink glaze, substitute with 2 teaspoons whole milk.) Pour pomegranate glaze over cooled cake. Top with pomegranate arils. Let set, at least 30 minutes, before slicing to serve.