lemon extract

For 34 years, Otis Lee drew crowds to Mr. Fofo’s Deli, his midtown Detroit restaurant, with sky-high corned beef sandwiches and lemon-glazed poundcake. Mr. Lee, who died in April 2020 from coronavirus complications, passed the poundcake recipe along to his son, Keith Lee, who shared it with The Times. This moist and flavorful recipe, isn’t complicated, but it does requires more equipment and a few more steps than your average poundcake. So save it for a special occasion. It’s worth noting that the cake truly shines when the lemon glaze is poured over the warm, unmolded cake right out of the oven. (Do so on a platter, not on a rack. You want the extra icing to pool at the base of the cake, Keith Lee said.) Double the glaze if desired.

Otis Lee’s Famous Poundcake

unsalted butter

cake flour,

cream cheese, softened

granulated sugar

eggs,

vanilla extract

cornstarch

baking powder

salt

unsalted butter, softened

confectioners’ sugar

Lemon juice

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch/12-cup Bundt pan.

Make the cake: In a large bowl, combine melted butter, cream cheese and sugar. Using a hand mixer, beat on high speed until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Rinse the beaters and in a separate large bowl, add eggs and beat until light in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes. (The fluffier the eggs, the fluffier the cake.) Add the beaten eggs, vanilla and lemon extracts to the rest of the butter and cream cheese mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

In another large bowl, add cake flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Increase the speed to high, and beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the prepared pan.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. (Do not open the oven door before 20 minutes have passed. The temperature shift can flatten the cake.)

While the cake bakes, make the glaze: In a small bowl, using a fork or wooden spoon, combine cream cheese, butter and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Add lemon juice, to taste, and to reach desired consistency. (Icing should be thin enough to drizzle, but still have some thickness.)

When the cake is done, remove from the oven, and unmold immediately to a plate or serving platter. Pour the glaze over the top. (Doing this when the cake is warm helps the glaze soak in.) Serve warm or at room temperature. To store, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for several months.

For 34 years, Otis Lee drew crowds to Mr. Fofo’s Deli, his Midtown Detroit restaurant, with sky-high corned beef sandwiches and lemon-glazed poundcake. Mr. Lee, who died in April 2020 from coronavirus complications, passed the poundcake recipe along to his son, Keith Lee, who shared it with The Times. This moist and flavorful recipe isn’t complicated, but it does require a few more steps than your average poundcake. It truly shines when the lemon glaze is poured over the warm, unmolded cake right out of the oven. (Do so on a platter, not on a rack. You want the extra icing to pool at the base of the cake, Keith Lee said.) Double the glaze if desired.

Otis Lee’s Detroit Famous Poundcake

Lemon juice,

Make the cake: In a large bowl, combine softened butter, cream cheese and granulated sugar. Using a hand mixer, beat on high speed until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Rinse the beaters and in a separate large bowl, add eggs and beat until light in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes. (The fluffier the eggs, the fluffier the cake.) Add the beaten eggs, vanilla and lemon extracts to the butter and cream cheese mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

In another large bowl, add cake flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt; whisk to combine. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Increase the speed to high and beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the prepared pan.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. (Do not open the oven door before 20 minutes have passed, as the temperature shift can flatten the cake.)

While the cake bakes, make the glaze: In a small saucepan over low heat, combine cream cheese, butter and confectioners’ sugar and whisk until smooth. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, and add lemon juice to taste and to adjust consistency. (Icing should be thin enough to drizzle, but still retain some body.)

This homemade lemon extract is easy to create at a fraction of the price

Pure Lemon Extract

lemons,

vodka

Peel the lemons using a Y-peeler, careful not...

Peel the lemons using a Y-peeler, careful not to get much rind.

Place strips in a glass jar. Add vodka.

Leave for 5 or 6 weeks. Shake once...

Leave for 5 or 6 weeks. Shake once a week until then. Store in a dark cool place.

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Otis Lee’s Famous Poundcake

Otis Lee’s Detroit Famous Poundcake

Pure Lemon Extract

Top 3 lemon extract recipes from across the web

The most viewed lemon extract recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Otis Lee’s Famous Poundcake

Otis Lee’s Detroit Famous Poundcake

Pure Lemon Extract

The most viewed lemon extract recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine