Somehow I have been doing this blogging thing for a year now….that’s right, it was a year ago that I clicked publish on my first (atrocious) post (and no I’m not going to link to it, if you want to see that atrocity you have to find it yourself!), though it really doesn’t feel like it has been that long.
Back then I didn’t have a clue what I was doing – how to write a blog post, take decent photos, promote it, use social media effectively (still a bit clueless on that one…) or much of anything really.
I have learned a vast amount since then, though there is still a long way to go… I have also baked (and eaten) a huge amount, and have hit publish on a total of 91 posts, including this one.
I have gotten to know some lovely fellow bloggers, who have been nothing but helpful and supportive, worked with some great brands, and most importantly, have enjoyed (almost) every bit of it – bring on another year!
I want to take a moment to thank every one of you who takes the time to read my posts, comment on them, follow me on (deep breath..) PinterestFacebookTwitterGoogle+Instagram and to share my work, I appreciate you all.
A birthday would not be complete without cake, I dithered for a while about what to make, thinking that I should go for some some elaborate cake with many layers and several kinds of icing to celebrate the occasion…
But to be perfectly frank, I wasn’t really in the mood for it and was just craving something simple and satisfying, so I made a lemon and cardamom sour cream pound cake (and yes I know that I posted a recipe for lemon drizzle cake just last week but you can never have enough lemon cake in my opinion).
This decision was mostly based on the fact that I had some leftover sour cream and some lemons that needed to be used up….but the result was truly delicious, soft, moist and flavourful with just the right amount of cardamon and a lemony tang.
I lightened it up a little by using self-raising rather than plain flour – pound cake traditionally doesn’t contain a raising agent, though it still has a close crumb texture; and I replaced some of the butter with sour cream, which keeps it lovely and moist and adds to the tang from the lemon.
I love baking with cardamom, and it pairs perfectly with lemon, making the cake a little more interesting than just a plain lemon cake and adding a subtle warmth, it isn’t at all overpowering though.
The cake is lovely just as it is, but is also delicious with fruit and a dollop of yoghurt or cream, especially if you cook the fruit a little first to make a compote .
If you can’t get enough of lemon you may want to check out some of these delicious lemony recipes: lovely Lemon ricotta cake from Vikalinka, check out the piping on Patisserie Makes Perfect’s Lemon meringue pie! A very British Earl Grey and lemon bundt cake from Cygnet Kitchen and a gorgeous Romantic rose and lemon cake from Supergolden Bakes.
Lemon And Cardamom Sour Cream Pound Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 110 g (1 stick) softened butter
- 250 g (1 + 1/4 cups) caster (superfine) sugar
- finely grated zest of 2 lemons
- 4 large eggs
- 230 g (scant 2 cups) self-raising flour
- 130 g (4.5 oz) sour cream (full fat)
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- pinch salt
Glaze
- 150 g (1 + 1/2 cups) icing (powdered) sugar
- juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
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Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Grease an approx. 23x13 cm loaf tin and line with baking parchment.
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Put the butter, sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Once you have mixed in all the eggs, sift in half of the flour and mix until it is just combined; mix in the sour cream, cardamom and salt, then sift in the remaining flour and mix until just combined - don't overbeat the mixture.
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Pour the batter into the tin and level the top. Bake for 50-60 minutes until well risen, golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. You may need to cover the top of the cake with foil partway through baking to prevent it from browning too much.
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Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
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To make the glaze, sift the icing sugar into a bowl, add the lemon juice and whisk until smooth and free of lumps. Pour the glaze over the cake, making sure that it gets an even coating; it is fairly runny so you may want to place a tray under the cake to catch any drips.
Shari from GoodFoodWeek
Yum – this cake looks delicious {such beautiful photography}.
hannahhossack
Thank you!
Lucy Parissi
Hannah you are light years ahead of where I was on my first blog birthday! I think your blog is amazing and has come so far in such a little time. You are definitely going places and I can’t wait to see what you will post next. Happy blogiversary and here’s to many, many more!!
hannahhossack
Thanks Lucy, it is lovely to hear that as your blog is one that I find most inspiring! Here’s hoping we both continue to improve and succeed 🙂 xx
skd
I can smell the lovely flavors in your cake. Total winner 🙂
hannahhossack
Thank you!
Carrie-Time to be an Adult
Congratulations! The cake looks amazing as always!
hannahhossack
Thanks Carrie 🙂
Angie
Happy 1st Blogiversary! Isn’t it exciting to reach the important milestone? You are a very talented baker and blogger, so I expect a bright future ahead for Domestic Gothess (the best blog name, btw) 🙂
hannahhossack
Thanks Angie 🙂 I have my mum to thank for the blog name!
sarahgiebens
Yumm yumm yumm! Congrats on the blogiversary!
hannahhossack
Thank You!
Louise | Cygnet Kitchen
Happy 1st Birthday! Who doesn’t love lemon cake, especially with the added cardamom! This looks fab Hannah and thank you for sharing my recipe too!
hannahhossack
Thanks Louise 🙂 and no problem, it is a beautiful cake and I am very happy to share!
nancyc
This pound cake looks so good and moist! Congratulations on your 1st Blogiversary! 🙂
hannahhossack
Thanks Nancy 🙂 It was very soft and moist.
Annie Allen
Happy 1 year birthday!!! that is so incredible!!! So many stunning posts, including this latest. and I agree, you can’t get enough lemon drizzle cake! and I love the idea of adding sour cream. anything to make cakes even more moist is the way forward! congratulations on such a successful year!!! and many more to come. xxxxx
hannahhossack
Thanks Annie 🙂 I love making cakes with sour cream, it gives a great flavour and really does help keep them moist. And Thank you for your support over this year of blogging! 🙂 xxx
Laura
This looks amazing and congrats on a year of blogging! You certainly now look like you know what your doing! I always love your pictures! Here’s to many more years!
hannahhossack
Thanks Laura, I definitely am more aware of what I am doing now than when I started! I have learned so much, still got a long way to go though!
bakeplaysmile
How great are pound cakes!! And congrats on your one year anniversary! How exciting!!! Thanks for linking up with our Fabulous Foodie Fridays party. xx
hannahhossack
Thank you Lucy 🙂 Hope you had a great weekend 🙂
Angela
Hannah – I found your blog through #CookBlogShare and I’ve loved the recipes you’ve made.
I love this blog and your flavour combinations always inspire me.
Happy blog birthday and here’s to many more years.
hannahhossack
Thanks Angela 🙂 I am very pleased that we found each other through #CookBlogShare as I find your blog and creations incredibly inspiring; Here’s hoping we can continue to grow and improve our blogs together!
Abbe @ This is How I Cook
What a nice blog and pound cake. Bloggign is a lot of work so congratulations. Looks wonderful!
hannahhossack
Thank you! Blogging is an awful lot of work, far more than I realised when I started!
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain
I love lemon and cardamom, though strangely have never tried them together – I’ll have to remedy that!
Happy blog birthday! And many more to come.
Angela x
PS, I’m loving your little strawberry / dotty tea plates
hannahhossack
Thanks Angela 🙂 Lemon and cardamom work really well together 🙂 The tea plates were my grandmother’s wedding china! x
Hayley (@SnapHappyBakes)
Congratulations on your 1st blog birthday! Your blog looks amazing! And so does that cake! #CookBlogShare
hannahhossack
Thanks Hayley 🙂
carolinescookingblog
Happy first blogging anniversary! And I agree you can never have too much lemon cake, and I love cardamon as well so I definitely think I will have to try this one. Looks delicious!
hannahhossack
Thanks Caroline 🙂
Sneaky Veg
Ah happy birthday! I can’t believe you’ve only been doing this for a year – your photos are so gorgeous. Lovely looking cake as always – love lemon and I’ve never tried it paired with cardamom. #cookblogshare
hannahhossack
Thank you! I’ve been working hard to improve my photography! Lemon and cardamom are really delicious together, you should try it!
Eb Gargano
Happy birthday to your blog! I am just a beginner blogger and I am sure I must be making a ton of mistakes. I hope my blog is as beautiful as yours when it is a year old! This lemon cake looks scrummy – love the idea of adding cardamom.