Lemon Pound Cake

In addition to what I said in the history of the pound cake it was believed that the pound cake is of European origin which dates back to the early 1700s. ... Eliza Leslie, who wrote the 1851 edition of Direction for Cookery said this use 10 eggs, beat them as lightly as possible, mix them with a pound of flour etc then add the juice of two lemons or three large oranges. So  you see there is a long history behind this cake .Not to mention what else the imagination can add.

1 hour 20 minutes to prepare serves 8-10

Ingredients                         

1 3/4 cups cake flour           

Lemon Pound Cake

1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
4 eggs
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon lemon extract, optional
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Lemon Simple Syrup:
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325º F and lightly grease a 9x5-inch baking dish.
Whisk together cake flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl until combined, then set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together ricotta, lemon juice and zest, and also set aside until ready to use.
In a large bowl or mixer, cream together butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes, or until fluffy and lightened in color.
Beat in eggs one at a time, then mix in lemon and vanilla extracts.
Alternate between the dry ingredients and the ricotta mixture (beginning and ending with the flour mixture) while scraping down the bowl as needed.
Pour batter into greased loaf pan and place in oven.

 imagination run wild

Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out mostly clean, but with a couple moist crumbs attached. Remove from oven and let cool.
Begin simple syrup while cake is in the oven by whisking together lemon juice and sugar in a small or medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, then reduce heat and gently boil for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and let cool.
Once cooled slightly, pour or brush over cake, making sure to cover all sides.
(Optional, pierce cake all over with a fork for better absorption)
Let cake sit for 1-2 hours, or until syrup is fully absorbed, then top with powdered sugar, if desired, slice serve and enjoy.