Lemon Pound Cake

Ultimate Lemon Pound Cake
from Luscious Lemon Desserts by Lori Longbotham and Alison Miksch

Ingredients:
3 ½ cups sifted cake flour (not self-raising)
½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoons salt
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 ¼ cups sugar
6 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract (I omitted this)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup fresh lemon juice.

Position a rack in middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F.
Butter and flour a 10-inch (12-cup) Bundt pan.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together twice.
Beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
Gradually beat in 1 ¾ cups of the sugar, about 3 tablespoons at a time, and continue beating until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture alternately with the milk in batches, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the zest, the lemon zest, the lemon extract, and vanilla.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 1 ½ hours, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring the remaining ½ cup sugar, 2 teaspoons zest, and the lemon juice to boil over medium-high heat in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
Turn the cake out onto the rack and immediately brush the hot syrup over the hot cake. Let cool to room temperature. Serve the cake cut into wedges