Lemon verbena is a perfumy herb with a strong lemon flavor and a lemon-lime aroma. Its shiny green leaves can be added to salads, chicken and fish dishes, and desserts, as well as tea. For this pound cake, if you can't find lemon verbena at your specialty produce market or nursery, use freshly grated lemon zest in its place.
Ingredients
For cake
For glaze
Preparation
Make cake:
Step 1
Preheat oven to 325°F. and butter and flour a 1-quart kugelhopf pan, knocking out excess flour.
Step 2
In a bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, verbena (or zest), and zest. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in vanilla. Beat in half of flour mixture. Beat in milk and lemon juice and beat in remaining flour mixture until just combined.
Step 3
Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top, and bake in middle of oven 45 to 55 minutes, or until golden brown on top and a tester comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes and invert onto rack to cool completely.
Make glaze while cake is cooling:
Step 4
In a small bowl whisk confectioners's sugar, a little at a time, into lemon juice until smooth and thick.
Step 5
When cake is completely cooled, drizzle glaze over cake and let it drip down sides. Cake may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
Step 6
Serve cake at room temperature with strawberries.
