Limoncello Lemon Pound Cake

Update: I have swapped out the limoncello glaze for candied lemon slices. It has been 2 years since I first posted this recipe and our preference has changed. Slightly more work than the glaze but adds so much more lemony flavour to the cake. 

Simply cook some thinly sliced lemons in a simple sugar syrup (ratio 1:1) over medium-low heat until the rind soften and turns slightly translucent. 

We also found that we love this cake even more if we chill it in the fridge and let it sit briefly at room temperature before enjoying. It will become denser than if it was kept at room temperature because the cooled fats has bound the fine crumbs together. But this in turn gives the chilled cake a creamy mouthfeel which we oh-so-love! Kinda reminds me of Sara Lee, only that it's without added preservatives. Pretty enjoyable when the weather gets too hot. 

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Being back in Singapore for a mere week is definitely not enough time to catch up with friends, spend time with family and get miscellaneous stuffs done. Thankfully, my family came over to visit (and celebrated my birthday. YAY!) so we had more time together. Now that they have gone home and the flu seems to be leaving me too after a week, it's time to blog again.

Still with lingering physical discomfort, I thought I might start with something simple. Then, my green-fingered neighbor came over with these huge lemons (larger than he gave me in the past)!! How convenient?! Lemon pound cake it is. Look at the size of that, I definitely have to share my bakes with him! It's like a small pomelo already. Ha!

Just as I was preparing the ingredients, this beautiful bottle of Limoncello (lemon flavored liqueur) caught my eye, sitting prettily in the corner of my pantry. While baking with alcohol is not something new to me, I have yet to use copious amount of it in baking. But what the heck, the alcohol's gonna evaporate anyway.

Limoncello Lemon Pound Cake (makes 2x 8" loaf tins)

Mixture A
 250g     Butter, unsalted
 250g     Sugar
 1 tbsp   Lemon zest from unwaxed lemon

     3      Eggs (about 150g total)

Mixture B
 120g     Milk
 120g     Limoncello
   40g     Lemon Juice
     5g     Vanilla Extract

Mixture C
 300g     Plain Flour
     5g     Baking Powder
     2g     Baking Soda
     2g     Salt

Preheat oven to 175°C

1. Line the loaf tins.

2. Stir (B) until homogeneous, reserve. Sift (C) and reserve.

3. With a paddle attachment, beat (A) till creamy, color should be pale and the lemon oil has been released from the zest.

4. Gradually add the eggs and beat till it is incorporated.

5. Add in (C) in 3 additions while alternating with (B), pausing between each additions to scrape down the sides. I.e. Flour -> Milk -> Flour -> Milk -> Flour. Mix till just combined.

6. Pour into lined tins and bake for 60 mins or until a tester comes out clean with few crumbs. Check at 50 mins to prevent over baking.

7. Leave in tin for 10 mins before removing to cool completely on wired rack.

Optional: 
Limoncello Glaze
   60g     Confectioner's Sugar (aka powdered sugar, icing sugar)
   30g     Limoncello (or lemon juice to remain kids-friendly)

1. Stir limoncello into confectioner's sugar till combined.

2. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Thoughts: Though a traditional pound calls for a ratio of 1:1:1:1 across its ingredients of butter, flour, egg and sugar, the definition has been blurred in recent decades. Some bakers might even acknowledge anything baked in a loaf or bundt tin as a pound cake. *shudders* I acknowledge the fact that people's preference have changed over the years. Many now enjoy a softer textured cake over a traditional recipe of dense pound cake. That preference is also true with my family, so bear in mind, this recipe is no longer "traditional" in that sense. You are welcome to revert it to the age old ratio.

I'm not sure if it's the introduction of alcohol or the increased amount of liquid or the reduced fats, the cake has very fine crumbs, an almost melt in your mouth texture yet still remains soft and moist.

I think I have safely secured a constant supply of fresh lemons from my neighbour! 

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Penang White Curry Instant Noodles - Ah Lai VS My Kuali

We were supposed to be on board a plane bound for Singapore earlier today but due to unforeseen circumstances yada yada yada, the flight has been delayed for 7 hours. Thankfully I'm not a tourist stranded in the not-too-entertaining airport, else you might hear a very long string of vulgarities coming from me. Opps. Hahaha..

Since most of the perishable food had been cleared from the fridge, instant noodles is the logical choice for a quick lunch. Just so happened recently, a friend passed us a packet each of 2 different brands of Penang White Curry instant noodles. Call me "sua gu", I know that Penang White Curry instant noodles has been very popular for sometime and even went out of stock from the supermarkets some time earlier this year, but I never had the chance to try some. Blessing in disguise then, the flight delay gave me the chance to prepare the famous Penang White Curry instant noodles. Both brands were prepared according to their respective recommended amount of water and cooking time in similar pots and conditions.

槟城阿来白咖喱面 (Ah Lai White Curry Noodles)

• "Curry soup" remains relatively clear, not too thick
• More fragrant, as if perfumed with lemongrass (updated: statement confirmed. lemongrass is included in ingredient list)
• Tastes like a sweeter Thai based curry
• Noodles tastes like the usual instant noodles, nothing memorable yet nothing bad

My Kuali 槟城白咖喱面 (My Kuali Penang White Curry Noodles)

• "Curry soup" is thicker, and resembles more of a curry
• More lemak and spicier
• Slightly oilier
• Chewy noodles with a slight ghee taste, remains chewy even after a while

Personal Conclusion:

In terms of the soup base, I am clearly torn between the 2. I kept going back and forth, drinking water in between till I got super bloated. They both have their unique selling point and tastes just as great. It's really hard to crown one of them as the "better-tasting" soup.

In terms of noodles, MyKuali's has a better "bite", chewier noodles almost akin to "al dente", that remained firm even after swimming in the soup for a while. But there is a ghee taste which I find hard to stomach (personal biasity, I dislike ghee). There's nothing to rave about 阿来's noodles but nothing to fault either, it tastes simply like the usual instant noodles. It did turn soft and lifeless after a while but as far as I'm concerned, instant noodles are supposed to be eaten while hot so I decided to overlook that limp noodles.

Factoring both major components, I would opt for 阿来 as an overall winner. Although its noodles is not especially tasty but it won mainly due to the absence of ghee taste. If I really really really have to buy just 1 out of the 2 brands, my money will go to 阿来 but in reality, I'll just buy both. 

On a side note, the curious empirical mind within couldn't help but wonder how the 2 soups will taste like together, so we mixed both soups and agreed it was the best. LOL. 

Kindly note that the conclusion is knowingly skewed to my personal preference, and does not represents the views of others. =) Back to waiting for the flight now, see you guys at home!

Update (26th October 2014):
Big thanks to both Ah Lai and My Kuali for dropping by to say thanks. It feels good to have my online presence acknowledged by the involved brands. However, the uncanny time difference of 1 minute between both comment suggests that either both company engaged the same marketing personnel (or social media manager) or both are using a sophisticated program that tracks each others' online presence. Although the most probable explanation would be having a very capable marketing department or some business-savvy manager/director/(insert desired designation) within the senior management, someone who understands the importance of market segmentation and highly proficient in developing very effective product differentiation strategies. There is a possibility of people posing as someone from the brands, but nah, who would have the spare time to do such a thing?

Again, kindly note that the above is based on my personal inference, I did not seek verification from either brands. I'm just blabbering nonsense while taking a break from writing another post. Heehee... the above should not be taken as absolute truth. Regardless, both products are superb and addictive delicious in their own sense, that's why we got to do comparisons and reviews! A big thumbs up to the dedicated teams of the respective brands! 

DISCLAIMER: The blog and me are not affiliated to any constituencies of any sort. This post is set up to share thoughts/conclusions/reviews on various topics, such as food, products and restaurants. I have, by no means, any intention of flaming, defaming, accusing and insulting any individual/establishment. No benefits in any form, monetary or otherwise, was exchanged for the post. The writing is not influenced by any parties, and is based solely on my personal thoughts, preference, observations and biasity, if you will. Take it with a pinch of salt.

All blog posts and photos are properties of WhatToBakeToday (unless otherwise stated). Unauthorized use and/or duplication of these contents, whole or part thereof, without express or written permission from this blog's author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to WhatToBakeToday with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.