Old Fashion Butter Pound Cake
I've been dreaming about summer and berry season here. This time of year I will usually thaw some of the frozen berries we put back last year and make a short cake, in a futile but joyous attempt to hurry spring along.
Traditional pound cake does not have a chemical leavening agent in it, so don't be concerned about the lack of baking powder/soda. It is leavened by little pockets of steam created by properly mixing it using what is known as the creaming method. Attention to doing this method exactly as instructed can't be stressed enough and will reward your patience and attention to detail with a perfectly moist cake that is neither too dense nor too fluffy. Also traditional is using a pound of butter, eggs, flour and sugar, which will give a pretty good result but make two loaves. I have tweaked this a little and cut it roughly in half to yield one loaf.
* Please note that it is extremely important to let all ingredients get to room temperature before beginning this recipe
Ingredients (I usually set mine out the night before I know I'm going to bake it):
1/2 lb salted butter (2 sticks)
1 2/3 cup sugar
5 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
As usual, I recommend using a good quality butter (grass fed with no rBST), free-range eggs, cane sugar; etc.
Mixing Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F; thoroughly butter and flour a 9x5 loaf pan and set aside.
This is an instance where a stand mixer comes in really handy. Be sure to use the paddle attachment and not the whisk. You can achieve good results with a hand mixer as well, but you will need to be patient. Also have a rubber scraper nearby.
Using the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until fluffy. Increase the speed and add the sugar a little at a time until incorporated. Continue to beat on medium-high speed until nice and fluffy.
Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. Add the eggs one at a time and beat thoroughly on medium high speed after each one. Take your time and scrape the bowl often.
Add the remaining ingredients (flour, salt, milk and vanilla) and mix over medium speed until smooth, again, scraping the sides a couple more times.
The batter will be quite thick. Scrape into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for around 90 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Serve with fruit and whipped cream as a shortcake or simply enjoy plain with a good cup of hot cocoa or coffee.
Traditional pound cake does not have a chemical leavening agent in it, so don't be concerned about the lack of baking powder/soda. It is leavened by little pockets of steam created by properly mixing it using what is known as the creaming method. Attention to doing this method exactly as instructed can't be stressed enough and will reward your patience and attention to detail with a perfectly moist cake that is neither too dense nor too fluffy. Also traditional is using a pound of butter, eggs, flour and sugar, which will give a pretty good result but make two loaves. I have tweaked this a little and cut it roughly in half to yield one loaf.
* Please note that it is extremely important to let all ingredients get to room temperature before beginning this recipe
Ingredients (I usually set mine out the night before I know I'm going to bake it):
1/2 lb salted butter (2 sticks)
1 2/3 cup sugar
5 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
As usual, I recommend using a good quality butter (grass fed with no rBST), free-range eggs, cane sugar; etc.
Mixing Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F; thoroughly butter and flour a 9x5 loaf pan and set aside.
This is an instance where a stand mixer comes in really handy. Be sure to use the paddle attachment and not the whisk. You can achieve good results with a hand mixer as well, but you will need to be patient. Also have a rubber scraper nearby.
Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. Add the eggs one at a time and beat thoroughly on medium high speed after each one. Take your time and scrape the bowl often.
Add the remaining ingredients (flour, salt, milk and vanilla) and mix over medium speed until smooth, again, scraping the sides a couple more times.
The batter will be quite thick. Scrape into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for around 90 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Serve with fruit and whipped cream as a shortcake or simply enjoy plain with a good cup of hot cocoa or coffee.
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