Lemon Delight Pound Cake

Image: Recipes Recommended/Lisa Schattenkirk

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When we started brainstorming ideas for the theme of Recipes Recommended, the first idea we had was to fine-tune recipes we would find on the back of packages of food we would buy from the grocery store, grading how good, well-thought-out, or lazy they were. Lisa and I had a mix of both good and bad, and a fair amount of confusing ones. We actually still plan on making a few of them. For instance, there is a really great chicken casserole we found on the back of a bag of rice. I scanned it, and it's been sitting in our general "food" folder, where I periodically go back to, wondering if I'll ever get to half of them or if it's even worth it. After some honest discussion, we realized that food and recipes are, more than just something that is a part of your day-to-day, extremely meaningful. And making recipes for a laugh and writing about it, albeit kind of fun, isn't what we aim to do. We also realized that the best cooking inspiration happens when you talk with real friends and acquaintances casually about their lives and the food they grew up eating. Times were different for our parents and their parents, where recipes have been passed down and taught over the years. I love receiving scans, photos, or actual handwritten recipes from the people in my life, and I am almost always touched by the heart that went into making them, even if it was a recipe transcribed from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. So, when I invariably start talking about our blog and YouTube channel with anyone, the topic of heirloom recipes comes up, along with stories about the relationship they had with the person they got them from. Sometimes it'll stir up memories of licking batter from one of two hand mixer beaters, sharing the other with a sibling, and sometimes it's memories of meaningful meals after a graduation or other equally joyous celebration. This is the real meaning of cooking for me, and when my oldest and closest friend Noah gave me two recipes he received from his grandmother, Evie, I polled some friends and put her Lemon Delight Pound Cake at the top of our queue.

Image: Recipes Recommended/Lisa Schattenkirk

Described as a "family favorite," this recipe has ingredients I was excited to work with, namely apricot nectar. I truly didn't know what I'd find when I searched online to research it. I thought it might be something like rose water. But as it turns out, and you may already know, it's made from the puree of apricots. It is known for its sweet and tangy flavor and is often used as a base for cocktails, smoothies, and other refreshing drinks. I found some in the juice aisle at my regular grocery store, and the only other ingredient I didn't already have in my pantry was lemon extract. No big deal, and also not expensive like vanilla extract.

Also, to be clear, I only have a fraction of the experience in baking and pastry and education compared to all other cooking. Eager to improve my skills, and with this being a great beginner recipe to understand some things to watch out for, I ended up seeking advice from my friend Mandy, who used to be a head chef, baking in several high-end establishments. I am always in awe of her expertise, and she definitely gave me some good advice when reviewing this recipe. She gave it the thumbs up and confirmed some techniques I had questions about, and I was then comfortable making my first pound cake.

Image: Recipes Recommended/Lisa Schattenkirk

There are really only two steps: making the batter and pouring it into a Bundt pan or loaf pan, and making the icing. We made our batter, apricot nectar and all, and instead of just pouring it in, I lined it with parchment paper first, ensuring that I'd be able to use it as a cradle when removing the cake. After the cake was baked, and the skewer I used to check the doneness came out clean, I made the icing with just lemon juice and powdered sugar. As easy as that. When the cake was still warm, I used that same skewer and poked about 2 dozen holes in it, and poured the icing over the top, letting it soak into the cake. Lisa confirmed to me that this is really common, despite me not previously knowing about the technique. Side note: if I were to use the recommended Bundt pan, the idea is that you pour the icing this way over the bottom of the cake, and when cooled, then pour the rest over the top. I just let it cool on my loaf and poured as much of the remaining icing as I could on top.

Image: Recipes Recommended/Lisa Schattenkirk

This wasn't an especially complicated recipe, but like I said, it's a great recipe to learn some basic baking, and I'm always thrilled to learn new things. Also, connecting with a lifelong friend and learning a little more about his family was great. The cake was delicious and got rave reviews from my own mother-in-law, Kim. She even boasted about it on Facebook.