How to make the best pound cake ever

November 23, 2010 02:57 by author

Abeer

I love pound cake but you cannot imagine the number of pound cake recipes I have tried which have resulted in spongy and extremely soft cakes. I have nothing against those types of cakes. If anything, I like those too BUT I don’t classify those as being pound cakes. For me, a pound cake has to be rich, dense, firm and NOT too sweet.

So, here is my version of a pound cake.

You will need the following ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
6 large eggs or 5 extra large eggs
Pinch of baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Step 1:
Start off by creaming butter and sugar.

When I first started baking, I had no idea what “creaming” meant. However, I have finally learnt that butter and sugar are considered to be “creamed” when the mixture changes color/texture and becomes whitish and fluffy.

Generally, the longer you beat butter and sugar, the creamier it gets. I usually beat for 8 minutes with a hand-held beater.

Notice the change in color?

Step 2:
Add eggs, one at a time. Beat just long enough to combine the eggs with the mixture. A few seconds is sufficient.

Step 3:
Add the remaining ingredients (flour, vanilla extract, milk and baking powder). Mix just long enough that all the ingredients are combined. DO NOT OVER-MIX!

Step 4:
Pour batter halfway into greased/floured cake pans. I used 2 loaf pans (L:10 in, W: 5 in, H: 3 in). Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

A few notes:
-Don’t forget to rotate your pan halfway through the baking. This way, the cake bakes and browns evenly.
-I know the baking time sounds insane but trust me, it is worth it. I have felt that any time I bake for a shorter amount of time, my cake is softer. I think baking longer firms it up.

Finally, all baked! Yummy!