When life, or a friend gives you lemons...

Make lemon pound cake.  It will put a smile on your face.  Really.

Here are the ingredients you will need to make one totally luscious lemon pound cake. ~

1 cup of sugar

1-1/2 tablespoons lemon zest

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 cup butter at room temperature

5 large eggs at room temperature

1/4 cup sour cream

1-3/4 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Toothpicks

~For the syrup you will need~

1/4 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice

~For the glaze you will need~

1 cup of powdered sugar

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Preheat oven to 325* grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan 

In medium bowl mix the all purpose flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside. Mix the lemon juice with the sour cream and set aside. 

Add lemon zest and sugar to your mixing bowl.  With a wooden spoon stir them together till the sugar becomes moist and lemon zest becomes very fragrant.  Add the butter and mix at medium speed for about four minutes until it is creamy and light.  Incorporate the five eggs mixing well, about a minute or two after each addition. On low setting add half of the flour mixture.  Mix well scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl as necessary.  Add the sour cream mixture and mix to incorporate. Add remaining flour and mix for three minutes on low speed scraping the sides of the mixing bowl as necessary. 

Place the batter into your prepared loaf pan, smoothing out the top and giving it a couple of quick taps on the counter to get out any air bubbles.  Bake for 55-65 minutes.  The cake will be done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs.  Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and after 10 minutes turn it out.

While the cake is still baking make your syrup by combining the sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan.  Over a medium heat, stir frequently until the sugar is dissolved.  Simmer for about two minutes and then remove from heat and set aside.  Now here's the important part, while the cake is still warm use a toothpick to poke holes throughout the pound cake. This will help the syrup soak down into the cake and give it all that luscious tartness. 

Using a basting brush use all of the syrup basting the top and sides. 

Allow to cool completely before glazing the top of the cake.