Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Frosting (California)

Citrus trees grow abundantly in California, so they have plenty of recipes which use the fruit from the orange and lemon trees.

Cake:
1 cup butter, softened
½ cup shortening
3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1 Tbsp. lemon zest, freshly grated
1 Tbsp. pure lemon extract
3 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
1 tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. baking powder
1 cup whole milk

Frosting:
¼ cup butter, softened
1¾ cups confectioners' sugar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 tsp. lemon zest, freshly grated

Preheat oven to 350°F. Greased and flour a 10” fluted tube pan.

For the Cake:  In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in lemon zest and extract. Combine the flour, sea salt and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Beat just until combined.

Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. A flexible plastic knife works wonders to remove a cake from a fluted tube pan without damage. Slide the knife along the sides and center of the pan to loosen the cake before inverting it.

For the Frosting:  In a small bowl, combine the frosting ingredients; beat until smooth. Spread over top of cake.

Makes 12-16 servings.