Rumor has it the Ritz Carlton Hotel served a famous lemon pound cake in their tea room in the 1920s. This is our mile high version of the popular recipe floating around on the internet!
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup shortening (butter-flavored shortening works)
3 3/4 cups white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp lemon extract
Zest from two lemons
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 large eggs, at room temperature
4 cups cake flour or White Lily All Purpose Flour
3/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Powdered sugar, to decorate
Preheat oven to 300°F. Prepare Old Country Kitchenware square tube pan by fitting a parchment paper square between the two pieces and brushing with pan coat. Beat butter, shortening, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until pale, light and fluffy (about 6 minutes at medium speed). Add extracts, salt, lemon zest, baking powder, and 1/2 cup flour, beat until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, completely incorporating each egg before adding the next. Add 2 cups of flour, beating on low until it just disappears. With the mixer running, drizzle in half the milk and lemon juice. Add the remaining 2 cups of flour and beat in. Then again with the mixer running, drizzle in the rest of the milk and lemon juice. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and beat for another 15 seconds. Pour batter into prepared tube pan and gently shake to settle the batter. Place on middle rack of oven with a baking sheet on the rack below it to catch any drips. Bake 2 to 2 1/4 hours or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool until the pan is cool enough to handle. To unmold, place it over a metal can and push down to remove the outer piece. Once the tube is cool enough to touch for 4 seconds, lift or turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
