A few nights ago, I texted my sister, who was scheduled to arrive for a visit the next day. “What do you want me to bake you?” She didn’t text back for a bit, so I began perusing my cupboards for ingredients and scanning the internet for possibilities.
I had no cream cheese and only a little bit of sugar left (what kind of baker am I?), but pulled a pint of slightly-shriveled blueberries and some lemons out of the fridge, and decided to experiment. Now, I’m not normally one for pound cake, but something about the sunny lemon flavor distracts me from the fact that I’m eating an incredibly dense piece of cake. It’s all about balance.
By the time my sister texted me to say that she wanted something with chocolate (she had the nerve to suggest cheesecake. brownies.), I was pouring the cake batter into a pan. However, I can’t really say no to her, so while it was in the oven, I whipped up a batch of chocolate buttercream.
My sister declared this cake spectacular, and I must agree with her. It’s rich, but worth every bite (and ounce of butter). I was unsure about pairing the chocolate frosting with a fruity pound cake, but I now highly recommend it.
I made my buttercream with some hot chocolate mix and melted semi-sweet chips because I didn’t have any cocoa powder. I assume you, a real baker unlike myself, probably have cocoa powder in your cupboard. Either works well.
I also used brown sugar instead of regular sugar (out of necessity, rather than experimentation), but it worked well! It makes the cake a bit heavier, but lends it a nice flavor that compliments the lemon.
Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake
Makes one bundt cake, or two loaf cakes. Adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s Lemon Cake.
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 1/4 cup grated lemon zest (4-6 large lemons)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3/4 cup buttermilk (at room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
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Heat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two loaf pans, or one bundt pan
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Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer for 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. (You can also do this by hand, but make sure your butter is soft!) Mix at a medium speed, and add eggs, one at a time, and lemon zest.
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Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. In another bowl, mix the lemon juice, buttermilk and vanilla.
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Add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk mixture to the butter and sugar mix, alternating between them. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan(s), and smooth the top(s). Bake in oven for 45 minutes to an hour, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Chocolate Buttercream
Adapted from Add a Pinch.
- 1 stick butter (softened)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa ((or hot chocolate mix, if you're like me))
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (melted (OPTIONAL))
- 3+ cups confectioners sugar
- 1/4+ cup milk
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Cream the butter and cocoa together with a mixer, or by hand. Once fluffy, add the vanilla extract. If using, add the melted chocolate chips.
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Gradually add the confectioners sugar and milk, alternating between them, and mixing until the frosting reaches the desired consistency.
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