Lightweight Lemon Pound Cake and Lemon Curd

This was my attempt at lightening up my favorite lemon pound cake (from the novel The Way Life Should Be by Christina Baker Kline). It came out a little too moist, and I had to pour some oil off it towards the end of baking (it also had to bake for an extra 30 minutes - 105 minutes vs. the original recipe's 75 minutes). next time, I will use 1/2 cup of butter, and cream it with the sugar, since the coconut oil never fully incorporated.

I served the pound cake for breakfast each morning with lemon curd from TheKitchn.com (see recipe below).

¾ c coconut oil

¾ c greek yogurt

3 eggs

3 egg whites

1 ¾ cup sugar

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup milk

1 ½ tbsp. lemon juice

¾ tsp vanilla

Bake in a greased bundt pan at 300 degrees for an hour and 45 minutes. 

Zest of 4 lemons

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into pieces
5 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine the sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a food processor and process until the peels are ground very fine, about 30 seconds. Add the butter, egg yolks, lemon juice and salt to the bowl. Pulse a few times and then process for 15 seconds or so to incorporate everything. The mixture will looked curdled but that's OK at this point.

Pour mixture into a small saucepan and place over very low heat. Stir frequently, using a heat-proof spatula. Do not leave the mixture unattended as it is very easy for it to overcook and curdle. Cook until the mixture begins to thicken, 12-15 minutes. When done, the curd will be able to coat the back of a spoon and you should leave a clear, distinct path through it with your finger.

Pour it into a jar. Allow to cool to room temperature, then seal the jar and store in your refrigerator. It will keep for a few weeks.