Step 1

Set the butter, cream cheese and eggs out on the counter for a few hours to allow them to come to room temperature before getting started. Place a rack in the middle of the oven and remove any racks above it. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set it aside.(Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)

Step 2

Grease (with butter or shortening) and flour the bottom and sides of a 10” diameter tube cake pan with at least a 16 cup capacity (18 cups is ideal).This means to rub the bottom and sides with softened butter using your fingers or a wad of wax paper, making sure to coat every crevice, including the corners and seams where the edges meet the bottom. Wipe off the excess with a paper towel. Then add some flour and lightly swirl it around in the pan (rotate the pan) so that the bottom and sides gets a light dusting and are entirely coated. Turn the pan upside down and tap it gently to remove and discard any extra flour, rotating the pan as you tap. (See photo above.)Set the pan aside.

Step 3

Place the softened butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on high using the paddle attachment until smooth.

Step 4

Scrape the bowl with a spatula, then add the cream cheese and continue to beat on high until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl again.

Step 5

Then, turn the mixer on low and add the eggs one at a time, whipping each into the batter until combined. Then add the vanilla extract and mix until it’s fully incorporated. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides as needed.

Step 6

Finally, add the flour mixture, 1 cup at a time, ensuring that each cup is mixed in before adding the next.

Step 7

Once all the ingredients are in the mixing bowl, continue to beat on low for 20 minutes. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides a few times during this process.*While 20 minutes may seem excessive, this is the recipe that my mom and I have made hundreds, if not thousands, of time in total. It works!

Step 8

After 20 minutes, the batter should be very light and fluffy! Carefully scoop or pour it into the prepped cake pan and use a spatula to smooth out the top. Then, poke a few “air holes”into the batter with the spatula.

Step 9

Transfer the cake pan to a rack in the middle of a COLD OVEN (i.e., not preheated). Turn the heat on to 325℉ and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Then check the cake’s doneness with a cake tester, thin skewer or thin knife inserted into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean with no streaks of batter (a few small crumbs are ok), then the cake is done. If there’s clinging batter, continue to bake, testing every 10 minutes or so.(Every oven is different, so it’s best to check after 1 hour 15 minutes, but it will likely need more time. The cake took 1 hour 40 minutes in my (electric) oven but used to take less time in my previous gas oven.)

Step 10

Once the cake is done baking, turn the heat off, but keep the cake in the oven for 5 more minutes with the oven door propped open. Then, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool. If you have a wire rack, place the pan on it.

Step 11

Once the outside of the cake pan is cool enough to touch (20 minutes or so), run a thin knife around the perimeter of the cake, in between the cake and the pan, to loosen it.NOTE: Don’t wait too long to turn the cake out. A too-hot cake is too delicate to be removed from the cake pan. But if the cake is left in the pan too long, condensation may form, potentially causing the cake to steam in the pan and stick, which would not be good.

Step 12

Grab a dinner plate (or any plate large enough to hold the cake), place it over the cake upside down. Then, grab hold of the plate and cake pan, take a breath and say a prayer and turn the cake over. If the pan was greased and floured properly, the cake should easily come out! Turn the cake back over and voilà! Now, let the cake finish cooling completely (on a wire rack if you have one).

Step 13

If you plan on glazing the cake, then make the lemon glaze next. Place the powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract in a shallow bowl and mix with a fork or small whisk until there are no clumps and the mixture has the consistency of a glaze.(If it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, add more lemon juice.)

Step 14

Be sure the cake is completely cooled, then, pour or drizzle the glaze on the cake. (Note that the glaze will harden fairly quickly, so it’s best to make the glaze and then glaze the cake immediately afterwards.) Glazing a cake can be a little messy, but just try to have fun with it. Some glaze will likely end up puddled on the plate. You can scoop it up and re-drizzle it over the cake before it hardens if you want.

Step 15

Once the glaze has set/hardened, the cake can be served. If you’ve decided not to make the glaze, you can simple sprinkle some powdered sugar over the cake. Or leave it au naturel! Buon Appetito!