Old-Fashioned Glazed Lemon Bundt Cake

Cake:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
Grated zest of 2 large lemons
Juice of 1 large lemon (about 2 1/2 tablespoons)

Glaze:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 to 2 cups confectioners' sugar, well sifted
Finely grated zest of 1 large or 2 small lemons
Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 1/2 tablespoons)

Heat the oven to 325°F.

Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.

Using a wooden spoon or an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until fluffy and pale.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a small bowl.  Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Don't overmix; just fold gently until the batter looks well-blended.  Fold in the lemon zest and juice.  (The batter may appear curdled with the addition of the lemon juice - don't worry.)

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.  Bake the cake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare the glaze.

For the glaze, in a medium-sized bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy.  Gradually beat in the sifted sugar and the combined zest and lemon juice, alternating one then the other, until a creamy, pourable consistency is achieved.

Turn the cake out onto a wire rack set over a baking sheet.  Spoon the glaze over the hot cake and allow it to cool completely before cutting.  Best the day it is made, it will keep fairly well, in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 3 days.

Serves about 10 to 12.


From In the Sweet Kitchen by Regan Daley