Name: Lemon pound cake with crème fraîche and violets
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 150 gm unsalted butter, at room temperature; 375 gm caster sugar; 4 eggs, at room temperature; 300 gm self-raising flour (2 cups); 200 gm crème fraîche, at room temperature; Finely grated rind and juice of 2 lemons; To serve: crystallised violets (see note); Lemon sugar; 55 gm caster sugar (¼ cup); Finely grated rind of 1 lemon; Lemon crème fraîche icing; 350 gm crème fraîche; 70 gm pure icing sugar, sifted; Finely grated rind of 1 lemon, plus 1 tsp juice

Lemon pound cake with crème fraîche and violets

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for lemon pound cake with crème fraîche and violets.

Serves 10

Prep

30M

Cook

45M

Total

1H 15M

Ingredients

150 gm unsalted butter, at room temperature

375 gm caster sugar

4 eggs, at room temperature

300 gm self-raising flour (2 cups)

200 gm crème fraîche, at room temperature

Finely grated rind and juice of 2 lemons

To serve: crystallised violets (see note)

Lemon sugar

55 gm caster sugar (¼ cup)

Finely grated rind of 1 lemon

Lemon crème fraîche icing

350 gm crème fraîche

70 gm pure icing sugar, sifted

Finely grated rind of 1 lemon, plus 1 tsp juice

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 160C. Beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer until pale and fluffy (4-5 minutes). Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, until incorporated. Add flour and crème fraîche in alternating batches, starting with flour, until combined. Stir in lemon rind and juice and spoon into a buttered 8cm x 22cm loaf tin lined with baking paper. Bake until cake is golden and an inserted skewer withdraws clean (40-45 minutes). Cool in tin for 15 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack and cool completely.

2.For lemon sugar, combine ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

3.For lemon crème fraîche icing, whisk crème fraîche and sugar in an electric mixer until soft peaks form (3-4 minutes). Fold in lemon rind and juice and spread over top of cake. Scatter with crystallised violets and lemon sugar and serve. Cake is best eaten the day it’s made.