We Made an Old-Fashioned Pound Cake Recipe. Here's What Happened

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What happens when yous mix a pound each of butter, saccharide, eggs and flour? This writer put an old-fashioned pound cake recipe to the test.

Who doesn't love a good, quondam-fashioned pound cake? Moist and buttery, information technology'south a simple dessert that never goes out of mode. But accept you ever wondered where pound cake got its name?

See whether or non you're an old-fashioned cook.

A Brief History of Pound Cake

Discussion has it that the pound cake originated in Northern Europe in the early 1700s. Baked in a loaf pan, the original recipe called for a pound each of flour, butter, eggs and sugar which resulted in an incredibly moist, dense cake. However, over the years, the basic recipe has been adapted more ways than ane can count. Early European variations from the mid-1800s used cornmeal instead of all-purpose flour to make the treat more affordable. Today, modern adaptations have adjusted the ingredient ratios and added flavorings like lemon, chocolate and vanilla.

All of these changes have significantly altered the taste and texture of the original recipe and left us wondering: How does modern-day pound cake differ from the old-fashioned version? We decided to put the original recipe to the exam.

How to Make Old-Fashioned Pound Block

Ingredients

• 1 pound unsalted butter, softened
• 1 pound saccharide
• 1 pound eggs (when weighed in their shells)
• 1 pound all-purpose or cake flour

See how this recipe compares to copycat Sara Lee pound block.

Directions

Lauren Habermehl for Taste of Dwelling house

Stride 1: Weigh the ingredients

Using a kitchen scale, counterbalance out each ingredient into private bowls and set aside. For the eggs, weigh them while they are nevertheless in their shells and leave them uncracked until you lot are ready to add together them to the batter. If you don't own a kitchen calibration, there are lots of affordable options on Amazon or at your local kitchen supply store.

Step ii: Cream the butter

In a stand up mixer with the beater attachment, cream the softened butter until lite and fluffy (about 5-6 minutes) at a medium speed. Past the fashion, hither'southward what you need to know about butter.

Step three: Add the sugar

Next, with the mixer on low, gradually add the sugar in a steady stream to the butter. Once the sugar has been added, turn the mixer off and have a moment to scrape the sides on the mixing bowl to ensure even blending of the butter and carbohydrate. Plow the mixer back on and go on to foam the butter and carbohydrate together for an boosted 3-four minutes.

Stride four: Mix in eggs

In one case the sugar and butter are well blended, begin calculation the eggs. Cleft each egg, one at a time, and add it to the batter. Accept intendance to mix each egg until no traces of yolk remain earlier calculation the side by side egg. After every two or three eggs, pause the mixer and scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Don't make any of these egg mistakes!

Step 5: Fold in the flour

Reduce the mixer to the lowest speed and add together 1/four of the flour. Mix on low until no dry flour remains and so repeat iii more than times until all of the flour has been incorporated. Mix until you accept a smooth batter, then plough off the mixer.

Lauren Habermehl for Gustatory modality of Domicile

Step 6: Bake!

Divide the batter evenly into two buttered viii.five x 4.5-inch loaf pans. (Here's how to grease 'em properly.) Smooth the top of each loaf flat with an beginning spatula. Place the prepared loaf pans into a preheated 325° oven, preferably with the racks positioned in the lower third of the oven.

Broil for threescore minutes and and then check the doneness of each loaf. The loaves should be gilded with a minor crack down the heart of their domed acme and feel house to the touch when pressed gently. A toothpick should also come out clean when inserted into the loaf.

Editor'due south Tip: You can also insert an instant-read thermometer into the center of each loaf. If the thermometer reads 200°, they're washed baking. Acquire more about nutrient-safe cooking. temperatures here.

Lauren Habermehl for Taste of Home

Pace vii: Let cool, then serve

Remove the loaves from the oven and permit cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack. After 15 minutes, carefully remove the cakes from their pans and permit cool completely before serving.

To serve the pound cake, slice and top with fresh fruit and whipped cream. Or, cutting it into cubes and layer it into a tasty trifle.

Lauren Habermehl for Taste of Home

The Results

While this recipe gets a x out of 10 in both appearance and texture, we felt that the flavor was definitely lacking something. Our detailed thoughts are cleaved down beneath:

• Appearance: This pound cake recipe couldn't have turned out amend. Both cakes had a deep golden color and fifty-fifty, domed top. They as well came out with that iconic crevice down the center.
• Texture: When sliced, the loaves were broiled evenly and had a tight, dense crumb structure. And a few bites proved that the cake was moist, spongy and lite.
• Flavour: This original recipe does lose some points in the flavour category. The block has a lovely, slightly sweet flavor from the saccharide, but overall the sense of taste of the flour comes through a bit too stiff. If made again, we would add a little flavoring to the concoction after mixing the eggs. 1-2 tablespoons of vanilla would exist a elementary addition, simply a little almond, orange or lemon extract would besides be tasty.

Overall, this old-fashioned recipe gets a 9/10 from us. Information technology'due south unproblematic, straightforward and yields a beautiful consequence. This is a recipe we will surely make again—with a few tweaks.

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Source: https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/we-made-the-original-old-fashioned-pound-cake/