Sometimes it’s best to keep things simple!
I had agreed to make dessert for Mother’s Day, and I had a lot of grandiose ideas of what I would make. I tossed quite a few ideas around in my head, and spent about two hours pouring over cookbooks and blog posts trying to settle on the perfect dessert. I just couldn’t settle on anything, though, and it was getting late.
In the end, I asked my husband what he thought I should make. He suggested strawberry shortcake. Simple enough, right? I didn’t have many strawberries on hand, but I had a lot of frozen mixed berries. So, I decided to switch it up and make an easy pound cake that could be served with my mixed berry topping and some vanilla ice cream.
Since I had a giant bag of limes that I bought at the store last week (in a Cinco de Mayo mood!), I opted for a vanilla lime pound cake. In the end, it was the a simple and sweet dessert that everyone enjoyed for Mother’s Day!
Vanilla Lime Pound Cake
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 limes, zest and juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease and flour a standard 9-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the lime zest, lime juice, and vanilla bean paste.
Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir until the dry ingredients are just incorporated.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake for 60 – 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (or with a few wet crumbs). Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 – 10 minutes. Then, take the cake out of the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
I think Pound Cake is a gorgeous thing. Thanks for sharing!
beautiful! I love any kind of pound cake with berries. Great choice :)
What a wonderful idea Jen! I’ll bet it was delicious.
Beautiful cake Jen! There’s really nothing better than pound cake. And with lime? YUM!
The cake looks perfect. I adore anything with lime!
Gorgeous!!! You always inspire me… and impress me! :)
Love the addition of lime! I just made poundcake for the first time a few weeks ago and loved it (though I undercooked at first, oops!) so I think it is time for new variations.
this looks great! — may i ask where you get vanilla bean paste? i hate to sound stupid but i never heard of it- can i use regular vanilla?
Keri – Not a stupid question at all! You can use regular vanilla extract in place of the vanilla bean paste. However, I really love the way the little flecks of vanilla bean look in the cake. You can buy it online from my Amazon store or you may also be able to find it at your local Williams-Sonoma.
In Canada, HomeSense and/or Winners, in the gourmet food section, are a good place to look for vanilla bean paste.
Yummy! I’ve really been loving lime lately and this looks amazing :)
Sounds like the perfect dessert for Mother’s Day! Pound cake is one of my favorite treats, especially with a citrus twist.
That sounds wonderful, Jen! Perfect for summer!
There is beauty in simplicity and I’m sure the Mother’s Day gathering really enjoyed this simple but lovely pound cake.
Hi! Your pound cake looks delicious…I just have a quick question for you…can you bake it in a regular cake pan? Or is it meant to be more “loafish”. Thanks!
It’s meant to be more of a loaf… Many pound cakes are. You could try baking it in a 9-inch round cake pan, but I have not tried that myself. Let me know if you give it a try!
what a great twist on a pound cake. Love it!
What a beautiful cake Jen!