Right up there with my love of gadgets is my adoration of novelty bakeware.

 

When I first started seeing elaborate Bundt cake pans in the catalogs several years ago, I thought they were cute. I had a Bundt pan, though, and didn’t need another. But then Nordicware came out with a sunflower pan, and I was smitten. It was the only thing I asked for one birthday and I was almost giddy when my husband arrived home the day before that birthday, carrying a Williams-Sonoma bag but not letting me see what was inside.

You see, if I had the kitchen space, I’d have six or seven of these novelty pans, and countless other novelty cooking items as well. They are just so much fun! I’d have the chrysanthemum, the wreath and/or the poinsettia pan, the ice cream cone pan, and a few others for cupcake sized cakes.

I’m sure you have one or two novelty items in your kitchen; just about everyone does. Sure you enjoyed it when you first acquired it, but when was the last time you used it? I admit it had been a while since I’d used my sunflower, and I admit that I do go in phases in terms of the frequency with which I use it, but even infrequently used, it makes me smile. Every time, mid-winter, summer or spring. It’s a happy pan.

I pulled out my sunflower pan this weekend, in anticipation of spring. I searched for just the right recipe, and found it in a lemon pound cake that uses lots of real lemon juice and peel, and not just extract.

Even though the pan is coated in Teflon and supposedly non-stick, I do find that efforts to grease and flour the pan are worth it. Extracting finished cakes can be just a little delicate with all those nooks and crannies. I use canola oil spray to grease it, and a light hand with flour (or occasionally powdered sugar)

The cake turned out really nicely. Excellent edge of pucker to it with the fresh lemon juice. I dusted the finished cake with powdered sugar – but not enough to obscure the shape. When I put it out on the table after dinner, even the dog was grinning.

Fresh Lemon Pound Cake

1 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
3 large eggs
3 egg yolks
2 lemons (zest and juice)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a cake pan or load pan.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, blending well after each addition. Add the zest, juice, and vanilla extract and incorporate completely.

Add the flour, baking powder and salt and integrate completely, but be careful not to over mix, either.

Pour the cake into the prepared pan and bake about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool, then turn out onto a plate. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

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