Thursday, August 23

The Perfect Pound Cake

10 Steps to The Perfect Pound Cake


1. Prepare the recipe as directed using name-brand ingredients. Store brands of sugar are often more finely ground than name brands, yielding more sugar per cup, which can cause the cake to fall. Store brands of butter may contain more liquid fat and flours more hard wheat, making the cake heavy.

2. Measure accurately. Be sure to use dry measuring cups for flour and sugar. Spoon flour into the cups and lightly level with the straight edge of a small offset spatula or knife. Extra sugar or leavening causes a cake to fall; extra flour makes it dry.

3. Have ingredients at room temperature.

4. Beat softened butter, and cream cheese or vegetable shortening, at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, continuing to beat until light and fluffy. These steps are important because they whip air into the cake batter so it will rise during baking. Should take you at least 5 minutes.

5. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until the yolk disappears. Over beating the eggs may cause the batter to overflow the sides of the pan when baked or create a fragile crust that crumbles and separates from the cake as it cools.

6. To prevent the batter from curdling, always add the dry ingredients alternately with the liquid, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until blended after each addition. Over mixing the batter once the flour has been added creates a tough, rubbery cake.

7. Be sure to use the correct type of cake pan. Pound cake recipes calling for a tube pan won’t always fit in a Bundt pan. I learned this the HARD WAY! Although both may measure 10 inches in diameter, each holds a different amount of batter. The same pound cake recipe rises and bakes differently in each pan. When unsure of size, use a cup measure to fill the cake pan with water.

8. Grease cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, such as Crisco, and always dust with flour—a slippery surface keeps the batter from rising to its full volume.

9. Place the cake pan in the center of the oven, and keep the oven door closed until the minimum baking time has passed. If the cake requires more baking, gently close the oven door as soon as possible after testing to prevent jarring and loss of heat—both can cause a cake to fall.

10. After removing from the oven, place the pound cake, still in the pan, on a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. This allows the cake to become firm enough to remove from the pan without breaking apart. I also learned this the hard way! Remove pound cake from pan to wire rack, and brush with a sugar glaze.....CRUCIAL!  This ensures a moist pound cake. I brush ALL of my cakes with some sort of glaze....ALWAYS. Let your cake cool completely.

Using these good and sensible tips try your hand at.........

My Blue Ribbon Pound Cake
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INGREDIENTS
  • 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, room temp
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, I use Crisco sticks
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 5 eggs, room temp
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup milk, room temp
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
GLAZE INGREDIENTS
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
WHAT TO DO
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • With a mixer, cream butter and shortening together.
  • Add sugar, a little at a time.
  • Add eggs, 1 at a time, just barely mixing until you can no longer see the yolk.
  • Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl and add to mixer alternately with milk; starting and ending with the flour. 
  • Pour into a greased and floured Bundt pan. 
  • Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  • Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes while you make the glaze. For the glaze, bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Brush warm cake with glaze until it's all gone. Let the cake cool completely before slicing and serving.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
With a mixer, cream butter and shortening together.
Add sugar, a little at a time.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, just barely mixing until you can no longer see the yolk.
Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl and add to mixer alternately with milk,
starting with the flour and ending with the flour. Mix in vanilla. Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes while you make the glaze. For the glaze, bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Brush warm cake with glaze until it's all gone. Let the cake cool completely before slicing and serving.
Try your hand at this traditional pound cake....
.......you'll be glad ya did!
ENJOY!
~THE DOMESTIC CURATOR~
RONDA


5 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing the yummy recipe for pound cake. I will try this recipe for my sister's birthday. Usually, kids are crazy for cakes. In my childhood, I ate a lot of cupcakes and yummy yummy fresh cakes and dinners with my sister. Those days were memorable with her. But now, I am older and working at a CV writing service Dubai. I don't have time nowadays Because I have a lot of work.

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