Classic Lemon Pound Cake

This recipe appeared in the "Home on the Range" edition of Cook's Country Magazine. Visit them at CooksCountry.com. Their recipes are fabulous! Sometimes we'd make a special trip to Manchester to get a "Lemon Lulu" cake for special occasions; not any more! This baby came out as good if not better.

For best results, the butter should be between 65 and 70 degrees - it should give slightly when pressed with your finger but still hold its shape. You will need three lemons for this recipe

The Cake

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool, plus extra for greasing pan.
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting pans
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup sour cream
1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1-1/2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten

Syrup

¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup lemon juice

Glaze

½ cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with butter; dust pan with flour, then tap out excess. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into bowl. Stir sour cream and lemon juice together in a second bowl.

2. Using fingers, toss lemon zest and sugar together in a large bowl until clumps are gone. Add butter and beat with electric mixer at medium-high speed until smooth and light, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add beaten eggs in three additions, mixing until smooth and scraping down bowl after each addition. (Mixture will begin to look curdled): With mixer on low, add one-third of flour mixture, followed by half of sour cream mixture, stopping as necessary to scrape down bowl. Repeat, ending with flour mixture. Scrape down bowl, then mix on low until smooth, about 30 seconds. Use rubber spatula to give batter final stir.

3. Pour batter into pan and smooth top. Gently tap pan on counter to release air bubbles. Bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 55 to 70 minutes.

4. For the syrup: While cake bakes, stir sugar and lemon juice together in sauce pan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 2 minutes, remove from heat, and set aside.

5. Cool cake in pan on cooling rack for 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Brush top and sides of still-warm cake with syrup and cool completely, about 2 hours.

6. For the glaze: Whisk confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in bowl until smooth. Spread glaze over cake, allowing some to drip down sides. Let hlaze set for at least 15 minutes before serving.