Basil and Lemon Pound Cake
Automatically translated from Romanian. See the Romanian original
A fluffy and fragrant pound cake with fresh basil and lemon zest, drizzled with glaze and sprinkled with crushed almonds.
Ingredients
Method
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Preheat the oven to 175 degrees.
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In a bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder and salt.
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In another bowl, mix the sugar and lemon zest by hand until the texture resembles semi-wet sand.
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Add the whole eggs and mix with an electric mixer until combined and the sugar has dissolved.
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Add the yogurt, lemon juice, oil, and vanilla, then mix well.
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Finally, add the chopped basil and mix for about 30 seconds.
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Combine the two mixtures in one bowl and stir well.
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Pour the batter into a baking pan lined with parchment paper.
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Bake in a convection oven at 175 degrees for 22 minutes, checking with a toothpick starting at the 20-minute mark.
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While the cake is baking, whisk all the glaze ingredients together.
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Once the cake has cooled, pour the glaze over it and sprinkle with crushed almonds.
The story behind this recipe
If I were a grandmother, this is what I would make for my grandchildren.
Basil and lemon pound cake, drizzled with glaze and topped with almonds.
This pound cake recipe definitely deserves a spot in your notebook. It works perfectly when you have guests, for parties, for a snack, or any other occasion.
Prep time is a quarter of an hour, and baking time is twenty-something minutes.
For a round 24 cm diameter pan that is about 5 cm deep, you need: 1.5 cups all-purpose flour, 10g baking powder, 2 eggs, grated zest from one lemon, a handful of basil, half a cup of vegetable oil, 1 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of yogurt, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, a little salt, and optional vanilla. For the glaze, we need: 1 tablespoon milk, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 3 tablespoons powdered sugar.
Before starting, I turned the oven to 175 degrees and let it heat up. I first mixed the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, I combined the sugar and lemon zest, mixing with my hand just enough for the flavors to get acquainted; I achieved a semi-wet sand consistency. Into this 'sand,' I added the whole eggs and mixed with a hand mixer until it was smooth and the sugar had dissolved. I combined the eggs, yogurt, lemon juice, oil, and vanilla. It mixed perfectly without a fuss. Finally, we add the chopped basil and mix well for about 30 seconds. We combine the two mixtures in one bowl and mix with talent. Everything is ready to be put into the pan lined with parchment paper. I put it in a convection oven at 175 degrees for 22 minutes. That's when my toothpick came out clean. It might take longer, as ovens differ. The idea is to start checking with a toothpick after 20 minutes. While the cake is baking, we make the glaze that we will use once the cake has cooled. We whisk all the glaze ingredients together. That's all :)
I am always looking for more texture in a dessert. For that reason, I crushed some almonds and tossed them on top. You aren't obligated to do the same.
Sweet cravings!!!
