Monday, May 23, 2011

Pound Cake


So, I was looking for something to eat, like usual. I opened the fridge and you will not believe what I saw.

Huge strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, apples, the best peaches of my entire life, a ginormous watermelon, and red raspberries. 

"MOOOOOOM!!!! Where's my baking book I got from the LIBRARY??"

Oh wait. I took it back. I had already renewed it the max amount of times. I thought I could live without it, but I was wrong.

In my hysteria, I compulsively ordered it overnight on Amazon. But in the meantime, I had to look up the recipe for my pound cake on Google Books. And you should be very proud of me, because I followed the recipe to a T. Almost.
Pound cake has no leavening, so all of the airiness it has is simply from beating it.
This pound cake is buttery, dense, and slightly citrusy. I wouldn't expect anything less from ole' James.

Pound Cake
by James Peterson

 Butter and flour for the loaf pan
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons softened butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/4 t salt
5 eggs
1/4 cup plus two tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons of grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 1/2 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 350ยบ. Butter a 5x9 in. loaf pan, line the bottom with parchment paper and flour the sides.
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and salt on high speed for 8 minutes or until fluffy, scraping the sides with a rubber spatula every minute or so.
In a bowl, beat the eggs, milk, and vanilla. With the mixer on medium speed, add the egg-milk mixture to the butter mixture, one third at a time. Wait till each addition is incorporated before adding more. Add the zests and beat 30 seconds more.
Turn off the mixer and add all the flour. Beat on low speed for about 5 seconds to combine. Scrape the sides with a rubber spatula and beat five minutes more.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Do not smooth the top or the cake will loose airiness. It will settle as it bakes.
Bake for about an hour and fifteen minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
When cool, slice and serve with real whipped cream and mixed berries.



2 comments:

  1. I LOVE his baking book! Baking by Dorie Greenspan is another good one... Looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the suggestion! I just got it at the library and I can't stop looking at it!

    ReplyDelete