Lemon Pound Cake with Strawberries

Before you start mixing, take care of the little things: preheat your oven to 350ºF and place the rack in the lowest position. Butter and flour your loaf pans (this makes 2 loaves).

In a small bowl zest the lemons (you don’t want the white stuff, just the pretty yellow rind) then squeeze them to get the 1/3 cup of lemon juice. Add the buttermilk and give it all a quick whisk.

In a medium bowl combine all the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt). Give this a quick to stir, too.

In a large bowl cream together butter and sugar; it should be light and fluffy. Then add the eggs, one at a time, beating together well after each addition.

This is the tricky part (but it’s not THAT tricky): you’ll need to alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk mixture. You MUST begin and end with the dry stuff! Beat in each addition till smooth. Don’t overmix!

Divide the batter between the two loaf pans and smooth out the tops. Bake until the loaves pass the toothpick test (it comes out clean when inserted in the middle), roughly 50 to 60 minutes. Let loaves cool in the pans for 15 minutes then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

To create the glaze, mix the confectioners’s sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl. The glaze should be thick but pourable. Add more sugar or juice to reach the consistency that works for you.

Pour glaze on top of the cake and let sit for several minutes. Slice and top each piece with the sliced and quartered strawberries. If you’re feeling extra sassy, top off with some whipped cream.