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Classic Pound Cake
Nb persons: 0
Yield: Makes one loaf
Preparation time:
Total time:
Source: Cook's Illustrated Holiday Baking 2008
| The butter and eggs should be the first ingredients prepared so tey have a chance to stand at room temperature and lose their chill while the oven heats, the loaf pan is greased and floured, and the oter ingredients are measured. Leftover cakes will keep reasonably well for up to 3 days oif wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature. | |
| 16 Tb. | unsalted butter, cold, plus extra for greasing pan |
| 3 large | eggs, plus 3 large egg yolks |
| 2 tsp. | vanilla extract |
| 1 3/4 c. | cake flour, plus extra for dusting loaf pan |
| 1/2 tsp. | table salt |
| 1 1/4 c. | sugar |
| Lemon Soaking Syrup: | |
| 1/2 c. | sugar |
| 1/4 c. | lemon juice from 2 lemons |
| 2 Tb. | water |
1. Cut butter into 1-Tb. pieces and place in bowl of stand mixer; let stand at room temperature 20-30 minutes to soften slightly (butter should reach no more than 60 degrees). Using dinner fork, beat eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla in liquid measuring cup until combined. Let egg mixture stand at room temperature until ready to use.
2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Generously butter 9x5" loaf pan pan; dust pan liberally with flour and knock out excess.
3. In stand mixer fitted with flat beater, beat butter and salt at medium-high speed until shiny, smooth, and creamy, 2-3 minutes,, scraping bottom and sides of bowl once with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to medium; with mixer running, gradually pour in sugar (this should take about 60 seconds). Once all sugar is added, increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is fluffy and almost white in color, 5-8 minutes, scraping bottom and sides of bowl once. With mixer running at medium speed, gradually add egg mixture in slow, steady stream; this should take 60-90 seconds. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl; beat mixture at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes (mixture may look slightly broken). Remove bowl from mixer; scrape bottom and sides.
4. In 3 additions, sift flour over butter/egg mixture; after each addition, fold gently with rubber spatula until combined. Scrape along bottom of bowl to ensure that batter is homogeneous.
5. Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan and smooth surface with rubber spatula. Bake until golden brown and wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 70-80 minutes. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes; invert cake onto wire rack, then turn cake right-side up. Cool cake on rack to room temperature, about 2 hours. Slice and serve.
SOAKING SYRUP FOR POUND CAKE: (Lemon Soaking Syrup) Bring all ingredients to boil in small saucepan over high heat and cook, stirring often, until sugar is dissolved, 1-2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let syrup cool completely. After turning warm cake out onto wire rack, poke top and sides with wooden skewer and brush with syrup. Let cake cool as directed.
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