Pound cake got its name from a type of cake traditionally made with a pound of each of the main ingredients – flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. Since the traditional recipe results in a very large cake, the quantities have been changed over time. Hence, any cake with a ratio 1:1:1:1 of the four basic ingredients is still called a pound cake. This cake is said to be a British creation that dates back to the early 1700s.
This cake is flavored with vanilla and lemon zest and made more enticing with lemon frosting on top. The cake has a golden brown crust with a buttery yellow interior. It has a soft and moist texture, which is a result of a well-prepared batter. The key to a perfectly textured pound cake is to have all ingredients at room temperature. It is also crucial not to overbeat the batter so you don’t get a dense and uneven cake interior. This cake is perfect as is or served with whipped cream or fresh fruits.
Ingredients:
This recipe takes about 30 minutes to make. The cake needs to bake in the oven for 60 to 70 minutes. The cake needs to cool completely for about 40 minutes. Serves 1 9-inch cake.
Pound Cake:
• 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ⅛ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 ⅓ cups of granulated white sugar
• finely grated lemon zest from 1 lemon
• ¾ cup unsalted butter
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
Lemon Frosting:
• 2 cups of powdered sugar
• 3 ½ tbsp lemon juice
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a bowl, mix together lemon zest and sugar. Use a fork to mash the lemon zest into the sugar to release the lemon oils. Set this aside.
Cream butter and cream cheese on a stand mixer on medium speed until smooth.
Add half of the sugar-lemon zest mixture and continue to beat on medium speed for a minute.
Add the rest of the sugar-lemon zest mixture and vanilla.
Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. This will be about 4 to 5 minutes.
Add an egg at a time while beating on high speed.
Sift dry ingredient together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add half of the dry ingredients in the cream mixture and mix on low speed for a minute.
Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix for another minute.
Give it another mix using a spatula to make sure there is no loose flour at the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Pour the batter into a greased then floured loaf pan. Make sure to even out the top using a spoon or a spatula.
Bake in the oven at 325°F for 60 to 70 minutes. Make sure to test for doneness to prevent over-baking the cake.
Take the loaf pan out from the oven and let the cake cool for 10 minutes.
Scrape the sides of the cake using a knife or a spatula to make sure nothing sticks to the pan.
On a wire rack, gently flip the pan to release the cake.
Let the cake completely cool for about 20 to 30 minutes.
Place the wire rack on top of a baking tray.
To prepare the frosting, whisk together lemon juice and powdered sugar until thick.
Pour the frosting evenly on top of the pound cake.
Let the frosting set before slicing.
Ideas And Tips:
• It is important to use low speed when mixing in the dry ingredients. This way the gluten in the flour does not develop too much. This is also why you should not overmix the batter. If the gluten is developed, it will make the cake rise during baking then sink when the cake cools. This results in a dense and rubbery cake.
images – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFh4Qi7Iq7M
😳 What Tinnitus Does To Your Brain Cells (And How To Stop It)
After 47 years of studies and countless brain scans done on more than 2,400 tinnitus patients, scientists at the MIT Institute found that in a shocking 96% of cases, tinnitus was actually shrinking their brain cells.
As it turns out, tinnitus and brain health are strongly linked.
Even more interesting: The reason why top army officials are not deaf after decades of hearing machine guns, bombs going off and helicopter noises…
Is because they are using something called "the wire method", a simple protocol inspired by a classified surgery on deaf people from the 1950s...
