How to make a Meyer Lemon Pistachio Pound Cake-
I just love the flavor of a Meyer Lemon. They come in second only to Lemons from the Amalfi Coast….sigh, How I miss Italy!
But when life gives you Meyer Lemon, you don’t complain you bake a Meyer Lemon Pistachio Pound Cake! And of course, you can make this delicious pound cake with regular lemons too.
I hate to admit that I’ve never been a big fan of Pound Cake, the ones I’ve had were usually too dense, or too dry, but never too delicious. And for that reason, I’ve never made a pound cake before. So I started looking through the recipes I found on Google for some inspiration and to get the idea of how this cake should be put together.
I found some similarities and some differences, most notably the use of cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. I finally decided to use what looked like a stellar recipe from Julia of Dozen Flours and was thrilled to see her claim that it was better than Starbucks! Her cake looked too good to fool with, but being a chef I still made a few alterations to her original recipe. I also cut the recipe in half so I only ended up with one loaf instead of the killer bundt cake that she made.
The lemon pound cake did not disappoint and if I had made the full recipe and gotten two pound cakes instead of just the one, I could have frozen it without the glaze for another time.
Of course, I’m sure you could find a willing friend or neighbor to take the other cake off your hands!
- 2 Meyer lemons
- 11/2 cups cake flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups superfine sugar*
- 3 in eggs warmed for 10 minutes hot tap water before using
- 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt at room temperature full fat
- 1 tablespoons Meyer lemon zest
- 1/2 cup salted pistachios
- 1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- juice from one meyer lemon and one lime
- zest from one meyer lemon and one lime
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter and flour one standard size loaf pan
- Using a zester or grater carefully remove the zest of the two Meyer lemons, being careful not to get into the white part of the skin.
- Juice the lemons, removing the seeds and set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor, add the sugar and lemon zest and pulse until well blended (5 or 6 times) You can do this by hand if you like.
- Allow this to set for 5 minutes to build the aromatics.
- Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside
- eat the butter in the bowl of your electric mixer for two minutes on medium to high speed (scrape down the bowl as needed)
- add half the sugar mixture and whip for an additional minute, then add the remainder and continue to whip the butter /sugar mixture for four more minutes, scraping down the bowl and blade as needed.
- Remove the eggs from the water, dry them off and add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 30 seconds in between each addition.
- On a very low speed add in the flour mixture, mix until just blended.
- Add in the Greek Yogurt and lemon juice , mixing just enough to incorporate them.
- Pour batter into prepared pan, and top with the pistachios
- Place the cake on the center rack of your oven and bake for 55-60 minutes. (start checking your cake at around 50 minutes. It should be browned on top and a tester stuck in the middle should come out clean when the cake is done)
- Allow cake to cool on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes then remove from pan.
- mix the juice from one Meyer lemon and one lime with the confectioners' sugar and mix until well blended, then add zest.
- Allow glaze to set for 10 minutes before using.
- Top pound cake with glaze adding and additional coat as it drys.
- Slice pound cake and enjoy!
I agree… pound cake can sometimes be a little boring. But this… this… looks amazing.
I like this ctirusy pound cake. addition of Greek yogurt make is more soft. Sure I will try this one.
I love meyer lemons, this is a perfect use for them!
wow…i’m defenitely going to try this
A delicious twist on a classic recipe. Love the meyer lemons here 🙂
I am dying for some tastes of spring. I love lemon…this just screams spring doesn’t it? 🙂
This cake is amazing. I love to make pound cake & my sons will surely enjoy these flavors – lemon and pistachio. Bookmarked this. Baking this one soon. Thanks for tweaking the recipe for us, Chef Dennis!
I once would have concurred on the blah of pound cakes, until my sister brought the most moist and dense (and warm) coconut pound cake to a family gathering. — Your Meyer Lemon pound cake belongs up there! Very nice!
If life gave me meyer lemons I would certainly be baking this cake! I love using citrus in baked goods so I know this wouldn’t disappoint but what I think makes this pound cake really special is the addition of those lovely pistachios on top. I bet that little crunch and their flavor made this cake something hard to resist.
I love pound cake. The addition of lemon sounds great! I love lemon and pistachios together too.
ooooo this looks lovely! i do like pound cake, but like you i’m picky. i need it to be moist and very flavorful, and this looks like you hit it!
It makes me dive headlong into spring! Lovely cake 🙂
Yes, yes! Meyer lemons are fantastic. I bought way too many the other day and have to give up on the idea of hoarding them forever 🙂
Your cake looks perfect! Ciao, Karen
I just gave a huge bad of Meyer lemons away and still have a boat load on my tree! Can always use more ideas of what to make with all those lemons. Funny as I’ve done lots and lots with them but haven’t with them yet.
Dennis, pound cake is a staple of the South, and if made correctly (as yours apparently is) is a treat to be reckoned with… nothing dry or too dense about THAT. Thanks for your creative adaptation!
What a great variation on my recipe. Awesome job. I will need to give this a try!
extreme yum!
Looks amazing! So if I wanted to make the larger cake in a bundt pan, would I just need to double all the ingredients?
hi Sarah
it is one of the best pound cakes I’ve ever made! As for the size difference, I don’t think you’d need to double the batter. I would suggest that you measure the capacity of your bundt pan by filling it with water to the same level you would batter, and then measuring that. This will let you compare the volume to your loaf pan.
This will give you an idea of how much more batter you need, if any. The bundt may just be not as high as normal.
If you do use extra batter remember that it may take a little while longer (usually) to bake through than loaf pans will, so make sure you test for doneness instead of relying on timing.
Good luck
Dennis
My mother’s birthday is coming up. She adores lemon pound cake and this one looks simply extraordinary. She’s going to be soooo happy! Wish I could give this recipe six stars.
Thanks Candace!
I hope you enjoy the pound cake as much as we did and I hope your mom has a delicious birthday!
Lemon and pistachio! Yum! This cake looks perfectly moist without being super dense! It looks absolutely delicious. Wish meyer lemons were easier to find up here in Seattle:( Will probably have to substitute regular lemons.
I am a pound cake fan so if this is Chef Dennis approved I know it’s divine! P.s. Love Meyer lemons, too. On the bucket list to try one from the Almafi coast =)