PERFECT POUND CAKE
This recipe is too good not to share. It is derived from a Better Homes and Gardens recipe – need I say more? The art of making pound cake is not in the ingredients, but in how you handle them. Careful, precise measuring and handling will give you a pound cake with a silky texture and a delicate, sweet crust, that can’t be had anywhere at any price. The key is not to over-mix the ingredients and to treat the resulting batter as gentle as you would a baby. Here’s how to make using a bowl mixer with a paddle attachment:
Ingredients
6 eggs – room temperature – let sit out for 30 minutes or so, but no more than 2 hours.
1 cup (8 oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
1 8-oz package cold cream cheese – cut into 1-inch cubes. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
1 teaspoon kosher salt – use precise measurements.
2 ¾ cups of sugar – precisely measured.
4 teaspoons pure vanilla – precisely measured.
3 cups CAKE flour – precisely measured – and SIFTED. I don’t recommend using regular flour, but if you must (sigh) then use 2 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons. As for sifting, if you don’t have a flour sifter, you can use a fine mesh strainer and gently tap the sides of the strainer over a bowl. If you want to step up your game and purchase a flour sifter, then I’d recommend the classic all-American sifter made by Jacob Bromwell, which can be drooled over at http://www.jacobbromwell.com and actually purchased for about 25 bucks. Such sifters may not be around much longer and certainly not the ones currently being made on the original equipment from 1819!
The Art
Using soft butter, generously butter two 8×4 inch loaf pans. Lightly flour the pans, knocking excess flour off.
Beat cold butter pieces about 2 minutes on low speed using paddle blade. Occasionally turn on high speed to dislodge butter from paddle. Add cream cheese cubes. Continue on low speed for another 3 minutes, with occasional bursts to dislodge butter/cream cheese mixture from paddle.
Add sugar in a slow, continuous stream – 2 ¾ cups of sugar should take a minute and a half to pour into the butter/cream cheese. Pour very slowly, but continuously. Add salt. Continue creaming butter/cheese/salt mixture for 5 minutes more. Half-way through, scrape down sides and bottom of mixer bowl. Increase speed to medium for another 2 minutes, scraping down sides and bottom of mixer bowl once half-way through. Turn off mixer.
Add eggs one at a time. Break each egg into a cup first. After adding each egg, blend on low speed until the egg is just blended in – about 20-30 seconds, but no more! Beat in vanilla with last egg.
Gradually add 2 ½ cups of the flour on low speed. Do not over mix, just until its well blended. Turn off mixer and remove bowl. Carefully fold in remaining flour with a rubber scraper. Be gentle with the batter but make sure the flour you add manually is well blended. Fold the mixture carefully with the rubber scraper – do not beat it. Mix it diligently and patiently.
Carefully and gently turn batter into prepared pans. Be gentle so the batter doesn’t lose its volume. Shake to evenly distribute.
Place pans in the middle of the center rack of a cold oven. Turn oven to 300 degrees and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. DO NOT open oven door while baking! After time is up, open the door and check for doneness with a toothpick or cake tester.
Transfer to cooling rack for 10 minutes before removing. Wait until completely cool before serving.
The Baker's Dad 