Adapted for high altitude from “Lively Lemon: A Little Book of Lemon Herb Recipes.”
Ingredients
1 cup milk
5 or 6 lemon verbena leaves, chopped
1 cup vegetable shortening or butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
5 eggs, at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
ICING:
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1-pound box powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon lemon extract
Lemon verbena leaves for garnish
Directions
In a small, nonaluminum pan, scald milk. Remove from heat and add lemon verbena leaves. Cool, strain and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar, adding sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Add dry ingredients and milk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir in almond extract.
Pour into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan, and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes (begin checking for doneness after 1 hour). Cool in pan 5 to 10 minutes.
When cool, frost with icing. To make icing, cream butter in a bowl or food processor. Gradually beat in sugar and milk, beating until light and fluffy. Stir in lemon extract. Frost and garnish with leaves.
