The delicate flavor of redbud syrup lends moist deliciousness to this classic pound cake. A little hint of ginger adds complexity, and a tangy lemon icing perfectly complements the slight floral tang of the redbud blossoms.
redbud blossoms for decorating
3/4 c. confectioner’s sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan (or as in this case, four smaller bundt pans). (Baker’s Joy spray makes this easy.)
3. In a large bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Set aside.
4. Beat butter in a separate bowl until light and creamy (about two minutes). Gradually add sugar until the mixture is light in color and texture (about three minutes), scraping down sides of the bowl if needed. Beat in one egg at a time.
5. At low speed, add flour mixture a cup or so at a time, alternating with the sour cream (or Greek yogurt).
6. Remove half of batter to prepared pan. Add a little pink food coloring to remaining batter and stir to combine. Spoon remaining batter into pan and swirl with a skewer or chopstick.
7. Bake the cake until a toothpick comes out clean (50-55 minutes for a regular bundt pan; reduce time for smaller cakes).
8. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto rack, with a baking sheet beneath to catch drippings. (A sheet of parchment paper under the rack makes clean-up easy.)
9. Poke holes in cake and slowly drizzle redbud syrup over the warm cake(s). Let soak in before re-applying.
10. While cake is cooling, make lemon icing — combine lemon juice and confectioner’s sugar.
11. When cake is completely cool, drizzle lemon icing over the top (or alternately, dust with confectioner’s sugar), and decorate with fresh redbud blossoms.
