I tried making this with a rose syrup drizzle. The batter was very thick and didn’t rise up very much, creating a very dense pound cake with giant air bubbles where the batter didn’t settle in the pan. Some of this might have been solved by thumping the pan on the counter before putting it in the oven. This recipe also called for “self-rising flour” and I tried to substitute it with the recommended equivalent blend of flour, baking soda, and salt — though the recipe didn’t give an exact translation, just proportions that it said I should make in bulk and keep on hand, which I didn’t. That might have been another part of the problem.

The result was still tasty, but the rose syrup does a lot of heavy lifting (no pun intended) to moisturize the cake.

Cake:
1 c. + 2 tbsp. sugar
zest of 2 small lemons or 1 large lemon
1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
4 eggs, room temperature
1/2 c. milk (or 1/4 c. milk + 1/4 c. lemon cordial)
2 c. + 1 heaping tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. blueberry lemon jam (optional)

Lemon Drizzle: (Or, use this Rose Syrup recipe.)
1 c. sugar
juice of 2 lemons (1/4 or 1/3 c.)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a standard 9- or 10-cup Bundt pan.

Mix the sugar and lemon zest, then add the butter and cream together in a mixer. Beat in the eggs, one by one.

Blend in the milk, then gradually add the dry ingredients. Don’t overmix, but make sure everything is evenly incorporated. If you’re using blueberry jam, add this last and gently swirl it in until the batter looks marbleized rather than evenly mixed.

Spoon the batter into your prepared pan and spread out evenly. Bake for 35 minutes, or until risen, golden, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out without wet batter on it. The top should spring back when lightly touched.

Let the cake cool for about 12 minutes (keep it a little warm), then flip onto a cooling rack.

If using the lemon drizzle: mix the sugar with enough lemon juice to make a loose paste, about the consistency of a runny honey.

Poke some holes in the surface of the cake before drizzling to help saturate the cake. Brush the lemon drizzle or rose syrup liberally over the entire surface of the cake (while it is still warm), going over it more than once if necessary. You’ll want a thick even coating. Let the icing dry before slicing.