Brown Sugar, Lemon-Thyme Pound Cake. It’s moist, bright, and sunny. It’s a recipe for some very happy, homemade baking!
Brown Sugar, Lemon-Thyme Pound Cake
Course: DessertCuisine: European2
loaves1
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minutesWhile you’re waiting for ingredients to come to room temperature, do all your prep and carry out as many steps as make sense. Pre-heat the oven when you’re no less than 15 minutes away from starting Step 2. This will reduce the total time significantly.
Ingredients
230g butter (2 sticks), plus more for pans
412g all-purpose flour (3 cups), plus more for pans
½ tsp baking soda
1½ tsp salt
100g coconut oil (½ cup)
408g light brown sugar (2 cups)
108g granulated sugar (½ cup)
5 large eggs
230 ml heavy cream (1 cup)
118 ml fresh lemon juice (½ cup), divided, plus zest from however many lemons you squeezed
120g powdered sugar (1 cup)
7g fresh thyme leaves (¼ cup), plus more for garnish
Directions
- Bring all ingredients to room temperature, which takes about 1 hour. Butter and flour two 9″x5″ or 8″x4″ loaf pans. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Using two large mixing bowls and a sifter or a fine-mesh sieve, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt three times. Set aside.
- Cream butter and coconut oil together with a mixer, 1 minute on medium-high speed (6 out of 10). Scrape down the side of the bowl. Beat in brown and white sugar until light and fluffy, 4 minutes on medium speed (4).
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, about 15 seconds each. On lowest speed, stir in 2 Tbs lemon juice, zest, and thyme. Continuing on lowest speed, stir in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the cream in two additions. For each addition, stir only until incorporated.
- Divide between the pans and bake until a tester comes out dry (about 5 minutes beyond “clean”), about 50 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, gently heat the remaining 88 ml lemon juice until it is warm. Off heat, vigorously whisk in the powdered sugar until it forms a smooth, pourable glaze. Let the glaze sit for a few minutes to cool slightly.
- Let the cakes rest on a rack until they’re warm but no longer hot, about 10 minutes. Use a toothpick to poke holes all over the top.
- Slowly pour the glaze over the cake, allowing it to seep into the holes. Garnish with thyme leaves. Allow to cool completely. Cut slices with a thin, sharp blade, pressing straight down with no sawing motion. Store wrapped in wax paper at room temperature. If storing for several days, add a somewhat tight wrapping of foil over the wax paper, and/or place wrapped cakes into a large, airtight container.
Notes
- Substitutions: vegetable shortening for the coconut oil, 208g cake flour + 204g bread flour for the all purpose
Let’s face it: this is too much cake for just you. Yes, it’s so delicious that you’ll want to keep it all for yourself, but come on. Give one of the loaves to your neighbor. Or slice the loaves in half and give away half-loaves.
Social Learning
In general…
As much as I enjoyed these cakes, I’m not convinced that this recipe is perfect. I didn’t get as much rise from them as I’d hoped for … in fact, they fell slightly as they cooled. I’m not convinced that I have the ingredient proportions exactly right, and that could’ve been the culprit. But they were nonetheless not underbaked, and they were delicious.
The thyme looks pretty, and its taste is subtle. If you’re wondering what thyme tastes like in a sweet context, “really good” is the answer. If I wanted to amp it up, I would consider steeping the thyme into the cream as a first step, and allowing it to cool to room temperature while the other cold ingredients are coming to room temperature.
The cake itself is delicious, but somewhat plain. What really makes it amazing is the glaze. I soaked the glaze into the cakes, and I might have gone a bit overboard with it. (I subsequently reduced the amount of glaze in the recipe … but even so, use it to taste.) Even so, in terms of sheer flavor, it was deliriously good.
Regarding the method and ingredients…
Some people recommend beating eggs into a pound cake batter at the same speed used to cream the butter and sugar. Some people recommend a slightly slower speed. In both cases, it’s implied that you’d go a bit beyond merely incorporating the eggs; you’d beat them in thoroughly. Other bakers recommend beating the eggs separately, and then folding them, along with any other added liquids, into the creamed butter-and-sugar mixture. If you did that, you might also fold in the flour. I’ve also read that some people separate the eggs, beat in the yolks, and fold in the whipped whites.
I wonder if the coconut oil would incorporate air better if it were cool, but not cold, rather than room temperature.
I baked these cakes in glass loaf pans. Baking them in metal pans might affect baking time.
I used light brown sugar, but I’d love to see what these cakes are like made with dark brown sugar.
For further eating…
In doing research for this recipe, I found some interesting pound cake recipes that I’d like to try. The first two don’t use brown sugar, but I might try swapping some in. This one from the Barefoot Contessa has an interesting method, and this one from Martha Stewart has a nice-looking glaze. The third one, from Southern Living, already uses brown sugar.
Brown Sugar, Lemon-Thyme Pound Cake
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Jeff, I love the flavors that you added to this cake- lemon and thyme. Takes pound cake to a new level.
Thank you!
I’m sorry you weren’t completely happy with this cake, Jeff. It looks really good to me. The whole “how do you add the eggs and how long and hard to you beat them” has been the bane of my existence for years. Oddly, when I don’t pay attention, my cakes seem to come out better than when I try too hard. Hmmm. As I generally only have brown sugar in the house, I will try this with it — and I really like that you used thyme in the cake. Can’t wait to try it!
Well, I’ll tell you, I’m completely convinced of the thyme. It was lovely. Could be more pronounced … but still, wonderful. And the lemon glaze was fabulous w/ the cake. I think the trick in the short term is to slightly overbake it, since you’re going to drench it in syrup. In the long term, though, I would like to see more of a rise. I’d be so glad to see your improvements!
The butter and cream make your pound cake so decadent and I love the lively touch that the lemon added. This is the perfect treat to go with my afternoon coffee… so YUM!!
Thank you, Heidi!
My lemon loving youngest child would love this.
🙂
I have made a brown sugar pound cake, as well as a lemon one, and one with thyme, but never all three flavors. This sounds exceptional.
Awesome! I’m going to see if I can find them on your blog, because I’d love to see what you’ve done with them.
That cake sounds absolutely gorgeous, Jeff! I really like the idea of pairing lemon with thyme, it feels so refreshing and a little unexpected in a pound cake. Even if you weren’t completely happy with the rise, it still looks like a winner, especially with that glaze soaking in. I reckon dark brown sugar would make it even richer, so I’d be keen to see how that version turns out if you give it a go!
Thanks, Raymund!
Humm, citron thym, ce devait être bien bon.
Bizzz.
Thank you!
Well, I would certainly not turn down a slice (or three). Lemon and thyme together are a lovely combo, and I love that it’s in your recipe. The cake looks beautiful.
Thanks, Eva!
this looks lovely, save me a slice please!
Lemon and thyme sound like an amazing taste sensation, I love the fragrance of thyme, and a lemon or lime syrup poured over a cake. I would even be tempted to ice it with a lemon icing. Can you really have too much flavour? Looks great. Cheers, Pauline (Happy Retirees Kitchen)