Lemon, Poppyseed & Radler Pound Cake

White-glazed lemon loaf topped with sliced strawberries is partially sliced revaling the poppyseed-speckled interior. Glasses of beer sit nearby

Pair With

Grapefruit radler

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Belgian-style white ale (witbier)

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Difficulty 3
Prep Time 45 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
Serves 10 to 12

Difficulty 3
Prep Time 45 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
Serves 10 to 12

You can have your radler and eat it, too! Bright and flavourful — with hints of orange, lemon and grapefruit — this citrusy pound cake is a rock star of a dessert. You’ll know it’s a success when you smell that heavenly sweetness and see the quintessential pound cake “crack” down the centre of the loaf. Top it with the optional glaze for extra zing, or eat the slices as is with your favourite brew.

Ingredients for the Cake

1-3/4 cups (430 mL) all-purpose flour
1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) salt
3-1/2 tbsp (52.5 mL) poppyseeds
1/2 cup (125 mL) sour cream
1/4 cup (60 mL) grapefruit radler
1-1/2 tsp (7.5 mL) orange zest (about 1 large orange)
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) lemon zest (about half of 1 lemon)
3/4 cup (180 mL) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
3 large eggs

Ingredients for the Glaze (Optional)

1/2 cup (125 mL) icing sugar
1-1/2 tsp (7.5 mL) lemon juice
1-1/2 tsp (7.5 mL) orange juice

Directions for the Cake

1. Place rack in centre of oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease an 8- by 4-inch loaf pan with unsalted butter; using a long piece of parchment paper, line bottom and long sides of pan, allowing excess to stick up and create “handles” along rim.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in poppyseeds and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream, radler, orange zest, vanilla and lemon zest. Set aside.
4. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, beat butter with sugar on medium-high speed, scraping down side of bowl as needed, until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes
5. Reduce mixer speed to medium. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next and scraping down side of bowl as needed, until batter is fluffy.
6. Turn off mixer. Add half each of the flour and sour cream mixtures. Beat on low speed just until blended. Repeat with remaining flour and sour cream mixtures.
7. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth with back of a spoon. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes.
8. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely.

Directions for the Glaze (Optional)

1. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together icing sugar, lemon juice and orange juice. Drizzle over cooled cake and let stand until set, about 1 hour. (Pound cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.)

Tips

Cake recipes work best if all of the ingredients are at room temperature before you start mixing. Take the butter out of the fridge 4 to 5 hours ahead and everything else 1 to 2 hours prior to baking.
You can measure flour lots of different ways. This recipe uses the spoon-and-sweep method, which means you spoon the flour lightly into a measuring cup and then use the back of a knife to scrape off the excess and level it off.

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