If you’ve never had the delight of enjoying Martha Stewart’s Whole-Lemon Pound Cake with Pomegranate Glaze, then you’ve been missing out. The perfect mix of sweet and tangy, this pound cakes infuses bright lemon with tart pomegranate. Featuring a pink glaze on top, it’s a pound cake that you might hesitate to eat because of how beautiful it looks. But, after your first bite, its moist texture makes a second bite inevitable. Maybe you’ll serve it for breakfast, brunch, or for dessert. No matter when it’s served, you’re sure to be lost in the tastiness.
What Makes a Pound Cake?
Originally, pound cake was defined by its traditional recipe, which uses a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. This equal-weight ratio creates a dense, rich, and moist cake with a fine crumb. Though, nowadays many modern versions (such as our Martha Stewart Pound Cake) tend to alter these proportions or add leavening agents like baking powder or soda to make the cake lighter and more tender. Either way, it’s known for its straightforward formula that makes baking easy and simple for all.
Martha Stewart-Inspired Whole-Lemon Pound Cake with Pomegranate Glaze
Description
A light and moist lemon pound cake meets a pink pomegranate glaze.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 lemon
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
- 1 8 oz brick of Philadelphia cream cheese
- 1 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt or ¼ tsp sea salt
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 full sprigs rosemary
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon extract
For the glaze:
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 4 tsp (or more if needed) 100% pomegranate juice
- 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a standard sized loaf pan by buttering all sides and dusting with flour, shaking off any excess.
- Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside for later.
- Place a whole lemon in a medium sized saucepan with enough water to generously cover. Boil the lemon for 30 minutes or until softened. Once the lemon has reached this state, turn off the heat, drain, and let cool. Then roughly chop, removing all seeds and place in a food processor to pulse until finely chopped. Set this aside for later.
- Next prepare the rosemary sugar by placing the sugar along with the rosemary leaves in a food processor. Briefly pulse just enough to finely chop the leaves. Set aside to use later.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed for 1 minute until softened. Then place in the chunks of the cream cheese a little at a time, beating until incorporated with the butter. Next, add the rosemary sugar, beating until butter lightens in color. This will take approximately 4-5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Pour in both extracts beating for another minute to incorporate everything. Scrape down the sides.
- Turn the mixer to low speed and add half the flour, followed by half the finely chopped lemon. Repeat by adding the other half of the flour and remaining chopped lemon. Beat only until everything is incorporated. Do not overbeat.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan smoothing the top gently. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour and 25 minutes, checking after 1 hour and 10 minutes, as some ovens run hotter than others.
- After removing the cake, let cool on a baking rack for 10 minutes in the loaf pan, then loosen and place the cake directly on the baking rack to continue cooling for an additional 20 minutes.
For the glaze:
- Place the confectioner’s sugar in a medium bowl and add 2 teaspoons of pomegranate juice, whisking as you add the juice.
- You can continue adding more pomegranate juice or milk (for a lighter pink color) a 1/2 teaspoon at a time until the consistency is thick but still pourable.
- Once the cake is cooled completely, pour the glaze, top with pomegranate seeds, and let sit at least 30 minutes for the glaze to set.
Recipe and Styling by Veda Sankaran, Adapted from Martha Stewart
Photography by Dave Bryce
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