Pound Cake from The Baker
A few weeks ago, Mark wanted to make something for tea time. On hand were butter, sugar, eggs, flour and this delectable pound cake recipe from The Baker by Leanne Kitchen. This beautiful baking book features a good range of savoury and sweet baking recipes.
The recipe makes lots of batter but calls for only one-8 1/2" round cake tin. To avoid an overflowing cake tin, Mark recommends using two-8" cake tins or 2 loaf tins. The batter can also be baked in mini-muffin tins for 18 minutes. This pound cake has a basic buttery, homey flavour but the recipe includes many intriguing variations including espresso and caraway pound cake.
Pound Cake from The Baker by Leanne Kitchen
375 g (13 oz/ 1 2/3 cups) caster (superfine) sugar
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
6 eggs
375 g (13 oz/ 3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 tsp. baking powder
60 mL (2 fl oz/ 1/4 cup) milk
Icing (confectioners') sugar, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F/Gas4). Lightly grease a 22 cm (8 1/2 inch) round cake tin and line the base with baking paper. [This recipe makes enough batter to fill 2 cake tins. The batter will overflow if you use only 1 tin!]
Using electric beaters, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, until just combined and almost smooth.
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin, smoothing over the surface. Bake for 1 hour, or until a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Just before serving, dust with icing sugar.
Pound cake will keep for up to 1 week, stored in a cool place in an airtight container, or can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 8 weeks.
Serves 10-12
A sampling of variations:
To make orange pound cake, add 2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest to the creamed butter mixture and use 60 mL (2 fl oz/ 1/4 cup) orange juice instead of the milk.
To make caraway seed cake, add 1 tablespoon caraway seeds to the creamed butter mixture before adding the flour.
6 eggs
375 g (13 oz/ 3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 tsp. baking powder
60 mL (2 fl oz/ 1/4 cup) milk
Icing (confectioners') sugar, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F/Gas4). Lightly grease a 22 cm (8 1/2 inch) round cake tin and line the base with baking paper. [This recipe makes enough batter to fill 2 cake tins. The batter will overflow if you use only 1 tin!]
Using electric beaters, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, until just combined and almost smooth.
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin, smoothing over the surface. Bake for 1 hour, or until a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Just before serving, dust with icing sugar.
Pound cake will keep for up to 1 week, stored in a cool place in an airtight container, or can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 8 weeks.
Serves 10-12
A sampling of variations:
To make orange pound cake, add 2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest to the creamed butter mixture and use 60 mL (2 fl oz/ 1/4 cup) orange juice instead of the milk.
To make caraway seed cake, add 1 tablespoon caraway seeds to the creamed butter mixture before adding the flour.