Virginia Pound Cake with Glaze

This Virginia Pound Cake is Southern baking at its most elegant. A full cup each of butter and margarine gets creamed with sugar until fluffy, then five eggs go in one at a time to build a batter that’s impossibly rich.

Vanilla and almond extract work together to give the crumb a warm, nutty fragrance that fills the whole house while it bakes low and slow.

The finishing move is the lemon glaze. You poke holes all over the warm cake, then pour a hot butter-lemon-sugar glaze right over the top so it seeps down into every crevice. Sweet, tangy, and sticky in the best way.

Baker’s Tips

• Beat the butter and sugar for the full 5 minutes. That long creaming is what gives the cake its lift since there’s no baking powder or soda in this recipe.
• Add the eggs one at a time and beat well between each. Rushing this step can cause the batter to break.
• Use cake flour, not all-purpose. The lower protein content is what gives this pound cake its fine, velvety crumb.
• Poke the holes while the cake is still hot so the glaze soaks in deep rather than just sitting on the surface.

Variations

• Swap the lemon glaze for an orange glaze using fresh-squeezed orange juice and a pinch of orange zest.
• Fold in a cup of fresh blueberries for a fruit-studded summer version.
• Serve slices toasted under the broiler with whipped cream and macerated strawberries.