The Best Pound Cake | Daily Dine

The Best Pound Cake

Recipe video above. Pound Cake is a classic, very buttery vanilla cake commonly made in loaf form. The crumb is quite dense compared to typical cakes, but when made well, it should be moist, soft and melt-in-your mouth, as this one is!This Pound Cake recipe is based on one called "The Perfect Pound Cake" from "The Cake Bible" by Rose Levy Beranbaum. She tested it over 40 times and we’ve tried it many ways as well, but couldn't improve on it. So I’ve taken the liberty of changing the name here to the BEST Pound Cake.:-)Please make sure the milk, butter and eggs are at room temperature, as directed in the recipe. This is especially important for Pound Cake.

View original recipe on recipetineats.com

western

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 100 minutes

Servings: 10

Nutritional Information

Calories:280 kcal

Carbohydrate:29 g

Cholesterol:89 mg

Fat:16 g

Dietary Fiber:1 g

Protein:4 g

Saturated Fat:10 g

Sodium:82 mg

Sugar:15 g

Trans Fat:1 g

Ingredients

3 tbsp milk (, full fat, at room temperature)

3 large eggs (, at room temperature (150 - 165g / 6oz total including shell, Note 1))

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup cake flour (, sifted (if using cup measures, measure after sifting, Note 2))

3/4 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar)

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

13 tbsp (185 grams) butter, unsalted, softened to 18°C / 64°F; (Note 4)

Instructions

Step 01
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (165°C fan) with the shelf arranged so the loaf pan will sit in the middle of the oven.
Step 02
Prepare pan: Grease a 21.5 x 11.4 x 6.9cm / 8.5 x 4" loaf pan with unsalted butter, then dust with flour, knocking out excess (Note 2)
Step 03
Whisk wet: In a medium bowl, lightly whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla. Set aside.
Step 04
Whisk dry: Place the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl or stand mixer. Beat for 30 seconds on Speed 1 using an electric beater or the stand mixer.
Step 05
Add butter and half eggs: Add the softened butter and 1/2 of the egg mixture. Beat on Speed 1 until incorporated (about 30 - 40 secs) – it will become a thick batter. Increase to Speed 7 and continue to beat for 1 minute.
Step 06
Add half of remaining egg mix: Scrape down the bowl. Add half the remaining egg mixture (ie. 1/4 of the original total) and beat 20 seconds on Speed 7.
Step 07
Add remaining egg mix: Scrape down the sides again. Add all the remaining egg mixture (ie. 1/4 of the original total) and beat 20 seconds.
Step 08
Fill pan: Scrape batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
Step 09
First bake (30 min): Bake for 30 minutes until top begins to split slightly.
Step 10
Cut split (optional): Working quickly, open the oven (do not take pan out) and make a light cut with a small, sharp knife along the split (15 cm / 6") to help the split to open up nicely. Work fast – do not leave oven open for long or the cake will collapse.
Step 11
Second bake (20 min): Bake another 20-25 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. If the cake is getting dark you can cover it with a loose sheet of foil towards the end of the bake time.
Step 12
Cool: Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 13
Serving: Serve thick slices with any of the following or a combination – whipped cream and fruit (traditional); just butter; butter + honey (pictured in post); a fruit compote; mascarpone or thick yogurt with crushed nuts (pistachio would be fabulous!). See in post for more ideas.

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