Lemon Buttermilk Cake #2 

Adapted from Maida Heatter's Cakes (Cader Books; 1997) by Maida Heatter

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

You will need a 9 inch tube pan.  I used a savarin mold.  The cake tends to stick, so I would not recommend using a bundt pan or something with a design.  If you do use such a pan, generously butter it and coat it with dry bread crumbs.  If you use a tube pan or savarin pan, line the bottom of it with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit, then butter and dust with crumbs or flour.  You must butter and dust the pan, even if it is nonstick.

Prepare the lemon zest and juice and set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until it is soft.  Add the sugar and beat until well incorporated.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat after each addition.

On low speed, add the sifted dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk, in two additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Scrape the sides of the bowl down with a rubber spatula to blend.

Remove from the mixer and stir in the lemon zest and juice. 

Turn into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean and dry. 

While the cake is in the oven, prepare the glaze so the sugar is completely dissolved by the time the cake comes out of the oven.

Remove from the oven and let stand in the pan for about 5 minutes.  Cover it with a rack and carefully invert it to un mold the cake. Put the rack onto a piece of foil.  Remove the parchment from the top of the cake.

Use a pastry brush to brush the glaze all over the top, sides, and center of the hot cake.  Let stand until completely cool.