Another Recipe – Lemongrass Vanilla Pound Cake

The Pound Cake Years

As it turns out, it’s not that easy to quickly roll out this origin story of mine so this week another recipe – to prep you for the next chapter of my origin story – the beginning of my “Pound Cake Years” – haha! 

If you are just joining, thanks for being here and please read the first few newsletters if you would like to be brought up to speed. We are currently right smack dab in the middle of my origin story with some recipes thrown in for good measure. If you are here for wine, have no fear, the “Wine Years” are just around the corner and then its weekly ponderings on wine and food and life from here on out! (Also you can expect more info on my wine classes and wine club very soon!)

But for now – a recipe for my favorite pound cake! We will dive deep into the pound cake years next week, but the short story is that I started my own pound cake business during my last year in New Orleans (2005). This business, Sweet Sarah’s Pound Cakes, was totally underground (based in my own tiny home kitchen) and serviced just a few of my friends’ small restaurants. I applied to sell at the Crescent City Farmers Market but was not accepted – a tragedy! I like to believe I was ahead of my time with my seasonally inspired, locally sourced pound cakes. 

My basic recipe comes from a Cook’s Illustrated technique that utilizes melted butter and a food processor rather than creaming softened butter using a stand mixer. This food processor method is quick, easy, and perhaps even more delicious than the more old fashioned way. I used it as my base and then went wild from there with all sorts of flavors that I greatly expanded when I eventually opened my own restaurant in Charleston. 

But one of my originals and still my favorite has to be Lemongrass Vanilla. It was inspired by a huge lemongrass plant that basically took over my New Orleans courtyard. Since then I have planted lemongrass at every home (even rentals).

Lemongrass is such a subtly delicious flavor to me – tropical – but not over the top. The lemongrass vanilla syrup that is the key to this recipe should really be a staple in your summer fridge. It is a terrific addition to cocktails (like vermouth spritzes) or just drizzled over fresh fruit. 

Celebrate the final dog days of summer and make this cake soon! 

(By the way, if you lack your own lemongrass plant then search out lemongrass at your local farmers market or Asian market (H & L if you live in Charleston!))

P.S. If you are looking for a pairing – any sort of late harvest-ish white wine should work well – like Sauternes or Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise. But I also LOVE having a really nice, off dry, white Vermouth after dinner this time of the year (just slightly chilled). The Macchia Vermouth from Sardinia is quite charming if you can find some in your area. It’s imported by Oliver McCrum if you are requesting it at your local bottle shop. And it makes a lovely spritz too of course!

P.P.S. If you are looking for a musical pairing, I have to say that I was obsessed with Madeleine Peyroux’s Careless Love back when I was baking away in my New Orleans kitchen. It is lovely and soothing like this cake!

Lemongrass Vanilla Pound Cake

2 ½ cups sugar

8 farm eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 teaspoons salt

1 pound unsalted butter, melted

3 cups cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a standard size Bundt pan. Combine sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt in a food processor. Mix until combined. While running, pour butter into the mixture and continue running until thoroughly combined. Pour this mixture into a large mixing bowl. Sift dry ingredients into wet ingredients, whisking as you go. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Turn out from pan onto a baking rack or large plate and brush with plenty of glaze (see recipe below) while both cake and glaze are still warm. (You really want to saturate the cake!) Once cool, it cuts beautifully into 16 slices. 

Delicious on its own (even toasted for breakfast.) But for an elegant summer dessert garnish with fresh peaches or berries and whipped cream! YUM!

Yield: 16 servings

LEMONGRASS VANILLA GLAZE:

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

Lots of roughly chopped lemongrass (as much as 1 cup) 

2 teaspoons vanilla 

Combine sugar, water, and lemongrass in a small pot and cook over low heat until sugar dissolves and syrup forms. Simmer while the cake bakes (about an hour.) Remove from heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer into a heatproof container (to remove lemongrass). Add vanilla to syrup and stir to combine. This will yield more syrup than you need for your cake, but it is easier to make in a large batch and leftovers are terrific for cocktails or drizzled over fresh fruit! Store leftover syrup in an airtight container in the fridge.

(Note: Lemongrass is a pain to deal with (literally)! Its coarse blades can almost cut you so take care and honestly you can simply cut the lemongrass into rough pieces using kitchen shears rather than chopping if that’s easier!)