Friday, June 12, 2009

Lemon pound cake & hot firemen to the rescue...

Today is Foodie Friday hosted by Gollum at http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com
Please head on over to view some delicious recipes.


I realize that I have been posting lemon recipes lately and I confess that I am a lemonholic. In the summer it is so refreshing to bite into a piece of lemon cake or drink a tall cool lemonade. I found the following recipe this past week posted by Jeanne over at backyardneighbors.blogspot. Thanks to Jeanne I was able to whip up this cake in a jiffy and bring one over to my local fire department.

A few years back, I was baking cookies and accidentally burned my arm while pulling out a baking sheet. This was before I purchased silpat mats and was using parchment paper to line my cookie sheets. The cookies, along with the parchment paper, fell into the oven and started a fire. I was quick to close the oven door and turn off the oven. To insure safety, I dialed 911 and the firemen were in my kitchen with axes (oh my!) and gear in matter of minutes. Thankfully, it all turned out well. The firemen informed me that they often have fires in ovens caused by parchment paper. I gave them the cookies that were already cooling on my cooking racks as a thank you and off they went to rescue another damsel in distress.

Fast forward a few weeks later. I was in the market in the baking aisle and there were my fire hero's pointing at me and laughing. They were telling customers how I bake a red hot cookie and what a ball of fire I am in the kitchen. This teasing went on until I moved. From that day forward I started to bake for the local fire company. No matter where we move I have continued to play this forward by baking for these brave men and women who risk their lives to keep us all safe.

Perhaps you also bake for your local fire or police department?
Inquiring minds want to know.


Lemon cream pound cake

1 cup butter, softened
2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups sour cream

Grease and flour bundt cake pan. Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar together.
Add eggs one at a time,beating after each addition.
Add vanilla and lemon peel.

Sift dry ingredients together and add to creamed mixture alternating with sour cream.
Bake approx 50-60 minutes depending upon your oven.
Cool cake for 20 minutes and invert onto a baking rack.
When cake is completely cool ice cake.

Mix one cup of sifted powdered sugar with 3-4 teaspoons lemon juice to a drizzling consistency.
Pour over lemon cake.
Mangia!

42 comments:

  1. I love lemon ANYTHING...especially CAKE. This sure sounds good.
    A wonderful pay it forward!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I, too, am a lemonholic! What a cute post to read & nice of you to do all that baking for noble people!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lemon - YUM!

    That looks so good.

    I love that you bake for firemen. How thoughtful and I Know they must love it!

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a wonderful thing to do!!

    I'm sure the firemen get many of those calls, but few get the treats!!

    Great post - love lemon too...

    ReplyDelete
  5. This lemon cake looks yummy! But will this cake too sweet for 2 cups of sugar? I would like to try this recipe. I used to mix lemonade with honey, is so refreshing:)

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a wonderful way to PIF! I love lemon too, even in the cooler months its very refreshing

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love lemon! Especailly now that it's nearly summer here. I have lemon something or lemon IN something nearly every day! The recipe looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Just a note on this RECIPE:
    I questioned the amount of sugar in this recipe. Jeanne said she found this recipe in a cookbook from the 1930s. That was before they rationed sugar from WWII and we are now more health conscience. This is funny since we all seem to be super sizing ourselves here in the USA. Since it is a pound cake type cake I think the 2 cups of sugar is fine and Jeanne said it is delicious. I did not taste the finished product obviously since it was going to the fire men and women but I trust Jeannes opinion 100%.
    Joyce

    ReplyDelete
  9. I did not realize parchment paper could cause such problems but then I have never used it either. Good to know there is a substitute. The cake sounds good. How neat that you bake for the local heroes, I bet they love you.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Lemon is so tasty to me during the summertime. What a great idea to remember those who risk their lives for our safety.

    ReplyDelete
  11. It is hard to beat lemony desserts. This is a wonderful recipe. Thanks for sharing it and your firehouse story with us. Have a wonderful day.

    ReplyDelete
  12. How nice of you! Looks like a great recipe! Sour cream makes a cake so moist.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yummy, you know I am a fan of the lemon!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Note to self, be extra careful while using parchment paper. That was a cute but embarrassing story. My cousins are firemen and they do appreciate their treats! We hear stories all the time how people bring them gifts and treats. This recipe sounds so good. I love anything lemon. ~ Robyn

    ReplyDelete
  15. Joyce, I think this recipe is "lite" already. I have a very similar pound cake recipe that calls for THREE cups of sugar and 6 eggs. In mine, they cut the sour cream to one cup and the flour to 3... so maybe mine could be "lite" too?? If you read Gollum's post today, you will see that Betty Crocker agrees with my idea!

    What a great idea to bake for the firemen. I enjoyed your funny story too. Your sidebar says to ask about baking for the troops; maybe you should do a post about that too.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks for stopping by to visit me!
    Yum this pound cake sounds delish, I love lemon recipes too!
    I have a lemon tree in my back yard so I'm always on the lookout for recipes to utilize them!!

    Thanks for sharing your recipe!
    Sherri:)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Joyce,

    You are a real sweetheart!! My Father In Law is a retired firefighter. Eating was a big deal at the firehouse either after they were hungry and exhausted from some major firefighting (he was in a heavily populated area of Chicago and fought some horrendous fires), or just when they were kicking back, eating, snacking and talking. I am sure that your contributions are appreciated and you have "lit a fire" under me to start being generous in this way.

    Believe it or not, I was looking for a pound cake recipe to make a trifle with. This is going to be perfect. I hope to make it next week and will try to post it on Tablescapes or Foodie Friday. It sounds delicious!!

    Your story was LOL funny, but I am glad you are all right. I didn't know this about parchment paper~thank you for the heads up. What do you use when you bake cookies???

    xoxo
    Jane

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love pound cake..so I am going to try yours! I always try to do extras for our police and firemen... they deserve it! Happy Foodie Friday! Have a great weekend ~ Susan

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh, that looks so delish! Cute story and thank goodness the end was good. What a wonderful idea to take goodies to those that serve and protect us.

    Happy weekend.
    Hugs!
    Kat

    ReplyDelete
  20. Lemon is my favorite, probably equal with chocolate. When I have a teaparty there is always lemon and chocolate. Your pound cake sounds yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  21. This looks delicious and sounds like a terrific summer recipe. Wow, bake for the local fire dept., I never thought of that. How generous and thoughtful of you. You inspire me to share with and think of others... thank you.

    Please stop by my blog, www.blossomingwhereiamplanted.blogspot.com. I have something I would like to share with you.

    Love,
    Mrs. Teapot

    ReplyDelete
  22. This sounds great, I too love anything lemon, particularly in the summer (and we have ALOT of summer here lol). We do actually bake for our local firehouse, lucky for us they are only about 2 1/2 blocks away which is great for our homeowners insurance! We normally just bring them goodies at Christmas, but I think just dropping in for no apparent reason other than a thank you is a great idea. Thanks for the inspiration. Kathy (glad you liked the music room)

    ReplyDelete
  23. What a great person are are my friend...I love anything lemon...just give me a pie aday and I'm good to go...thanks for sharing and for coming by my friend...May you have a great weekend, Hugs and smiles Gl♥ria

    ReplyDelete
  24. This sounds yummy. I, too, just love anything lemon (and I absolutely have to have lemon in my iced tea).

    Thanks for visiting my blog. I'm heading to Savannah this week. My son and his family are moving from Annapolis to Savannah, and I'm going to help. Perhaps I will see Paula and can suggest that she start serving the Butter Meltaways.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I'm so impressed that you bake for the men in blue! Hats off to you. I have never done that. I too love lemony goodness in baked goods. Your cake looks fabulous...

    ReplyDelete
  26. I have a thing for lemon and firemen too. My grandaddy was a fireman in Sumter, SC for over 30 years. That is so sweet of you to bake for them. I know they appreciate it.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I'm such a lemonholic, too. Keep these lemon recipes coming! ;)I'm glad everything turned out fine with the oven fire! At least you have a good story to tell... I certainly enjoyed it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Oh your lemn cream pound cake sounds heavenly delicious!! Dont you love the fire guys?? I do, I married one:) And my dad was one, and his dad.

    ReplyDelete
  29. It is so nice of you to bake for the firemen. I lost my home in a fire in 1979. There were firemen from 3 different fire departments who responded. It seems like forever, when you are waiting for them, but I'm sure it was only minutes. They are my heros, too.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Hi Joyce, I am a lemonholic as well but somehow I always end up baking chocolate to keep Mr Bee happy :) I love this recipe and am going to add it to my collection, so thankyou for sharing it. Well done for baking for the fire department; I agree whole heartedly we should be very, very grateful to those who are willing to risk their lives to keep others safe. I sometimes think they never receive enough praise or appreciation, so thankyou for doing what we all should. Have a lovely lemony weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  31. You know....I never thought of baking for our firemen. What a very nice thing for you to do. I bet they love seeing you come with your goodies.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Since I myself have had run-ins with the oven. I'm glad to know about parchment paper. Your witty story about the firemen was a joy to read. What a great idea to "pay it forward," and with delicious lemon cake.
    XX 00

    ReplyDelete
  33. What a sweet girl you are! I love paying it forward stories. So inspiring. I wish I could cook half as good as you!
    Brenda

    ReplyDelete
  34. This recipe sounds so good, I have used parchment paper for my baking, never had a problem...but now I'm not so sure I should be using it...thank you for sharing...

    ReplyDelete
  35. I LOVED this story. And what a sweet gesture...to treat some of the hardest working City Workers we have. : )
    I also appreciated you showing us the Baby Shower setting below. What great inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Hi Joyce...I'm Back!!! What a wonderful thing to do for the firemen...I think they do a tremendous job..a few years ago I left the house while cooking eggs....came home 3 hours later to the cul de sac filled with fire trucks including a huge hook and ladder truck...they saved my house from being burned down...Great idea to give a little back to these wonderful men and women who keep us safe from ourselves....e-mail me so we can plan a pizza lunch...

    ReplyDelete
  37. Hi Joyce, I also love lemon cake, especially with fresh raspberries and this sound scrumptious!

    Your story made me laugh, you are such a great storyteller. I love what you do for the firemen. When I lived in California we used to cook and bake for our firemen, but I haven't done it here in Florida. You have inspired me!

    BTW, you can be my cousin anytime and come to our reunion! Here's the sad news, my reunion this year was yesterday and I didn't get to go. :( I have a deadline Tuesday and have been working a ridiculous amount of hours this week.

    ReplyDelete
  38. That is so nice of you! What a great idea. The lemon cake looks delicious, I also love lemon. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  39. What a great sounding recipe. Nothing says summer in the south like refreshing lemon anything and everything!
    Happy Twirls

    ReplyDelete
  40. Thanks for linking up. I am drooling over this. Hope to see you this week too.

    ReplyDelete
  41. My grandma does the same thing! She always bakes cookies, pies, cakes for the fireman because they always help out when we have to have the ambulance come if my grandpa falls or something. They surely do appreciate it :) This sounds so good lemon is my favorite!

    All the best,
    Allison

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for peaking in at my blog! Come back and visit again.