The name 'pound cake' derives from the recipe for a traditional American cake prepared with 1 pound (450 g) of each of the four ingredients that make it up: butter, flour, sugar and eggs. Obviously these quantities allow you to prepare a "super" sized cake. If you want to cook the classic 'pound cake', or a smaller version for a banquet of a few people, in this article you will find the recipe for you.
Ingrediants
Original recipe
- 450 g of butter
- 450 g of sugar
- 450 g of flour
- 10 eggs
- 1-2 g of mace
- 30 ml of brandy
Alternative Recipe
- 230 g of butter at room temperature
- 250 g of flour 00
- 225 g of sugar
- 4 eggs
- 10 g of vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
- Lemon or orange zest to taste
- Aromas to taste
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Classic Recipe
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 150 ° C
Grease the baking sheet (or baking sheets as the quantities are very large and may be enough for a two-layer work of art) with butter and flour or use parchment paper.
Step 2. Weigh the dry ingredients
Do this early, so the preparation will be quicker, and you will also create less confusion!
Step 3. Break the eggs and place them in a separate bowl
Make sure they are good and that there are no traces of blood in the egg white. Remove shell fragments if necessary.
Step 4. Whip the butter into a large bowl
Work it and mash it with a wooden spoon until you get a creamy consistency. This step is crucial; if you don't do it properly, the batter will never have the right consistency. Gradually add the sugar to the butter as you continue to mix it.
This step will be much easier if the butter is not cold. You don't have to heat it up but leave it at room temperature for a few minutes
Step 5. Add the egg yolks (whipped until thick and yellow in color), flour, mace and brandy
If you don't like this liqueur, you can replace it with vanilla or another flavor.
- Mace is not pepper although it could give an interesting flavor to the cake. On the contrary, it is a spice that is obtained from the nutmeg shell. If you don't have any, use the nutmeg itself, but be aware that it will have a less intense aroma.
- Add the flour slowly. If you pour it all at once you will have to struggle a lot to incorporate it with the other ingredients, so proceed slowly.
Step 6. Work the mixture vigorously for five minutes
The period indicated, however, is only an estimate, you have to evaluate yourself if the compound needs more or less processing. This is a sticking point because if you overdo it in whipping the batter (or don't work it hard enough) the cake won't rise well.
If you are using a planetary mixer, set the minimum speed to allow air to enter the dough
Step 7. Transfer the dough to the pan (s) and transfer it to the oven
Cook for 75 minutes, checking from time to time. Some ovens cook more quickly or less evenly, so you have to adapt to the characteristics of your appliance and check carefully.
- If you love making decorative cakes, bake the dough for only 30-35 minutes in a mold.
- Insert a wooden skewer or toothpick to check for doneness. If it comes out dry from the cake, then this is ready. You can place it upside down on a rack and wait for it to cool. At this point it will easily detach from the pan.
Step 8. Decorate the cake as you like
Although it is also delicious "natural", you can cover it with powdered sugar, strawberries or berry syrup. Any delicious addition will go just fine.
The pound cake is great with your morning coffee or enjoyed with ice cream and chocolate syrup for an irresistible dessert
Method 2 of 2: Alternative Recipe
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 175 ° C
Before you start, take a baking sheet and butter it on all sides. Then sprinkle it with flour to prevent the cake from sticking to the bottom.
Alternatively, line the pan with parchment paper that you can cut to size
Step 2. Cream the sugar with the butter
The butter should be at room temperature otherwise it will be very difficult to work with the other ingredients. The desired consistency is creamy, thick and foamy. When it is right, you will understand.
If you use a planetary mixer, set it to maximum speed. It will be of great help to save you a lot of arm work
Step 3. Add the eggs (one at a time), vanilla and salt to the butter mixture
Wait until each egg is well incorporated before adding the next one (at least 15 seconds), then move on to the vanilla and salt.
At this point, you can add the lemon / orange zest and any alternative ingredients you want. Some ideas are dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips. Even the “au naturel” cake is delicious
Step 4. Add the flour gradually
If you pour it all in one go, you will have a lot of work to do to incorporate it properly. If you are using the mixer, set the minimum speed.
- Some schools of thought recommend sifting the flour. If you have time, consider doing it.
- Don't overwork the dough! Once it looks smooth to you, stop! It does not have to disassemble.
Step 5. Bake for an hour or until the cake is cooked
Insert a toothpick in the center and if it comes out clean it means that the dough is cooked. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cake cool for 15 minutes without removing it from the mold.
If you feel it is darkening on the surface too quickly while it is in the oven, you can protect it with aluminum foil
Step 6. Flip the cake over and place it on a wire rack to cool
It will detach itself from the mold when it is cold. When you are about to serve it, you can garnish it with other delights. Although it is also excellent with a simple cup of coffee, this cake also goes with fruit, whipped cream and everything that your sweet tooth suggests. The pound cake hardly disappoints!
A simple sprinkle of powdered sugar is always a classic, but often the simple things are the best
Step 7. Finished
Advice
- Remember to grease the cake pan.
- If the butter is still hard, let it rest at room temperature. It will then be much easier to weigh and process it. If you're short on time, soften it in the microwave for a few seconds.
- By weighing and preparing all the ingredients in advance, the preparation of the dough will be very quick.
- The thickening properties of flour can vary according to circumstances. For this reason it will be useful to make a small test cake if you are testing a new variety of flour. In fact, the quantity indicated by the recipe may not be correct to obtain an ideal dough. For example, less flour is needed in winter than in summer to make the same type of dough.
- Cake flour contains more starch and less gluten than bread flour. Using it you will get a softer and lighter cake.
Warnings
- Check the cake often while baking. Make sure the oven temperature is correct and uniform.
- Don't use raw sugar, it will give the cake a coarse texture and a hard crust.
- Stop mixing the mixture of ingredients after whipping it for the last time.
