pound cake

The Old-Fashioned Way: Cast-Iron Baked Pound Cake

February 28, 2018 / / Baking & Desserts, Recipes

Forget the tube or loaf ban when making a pound cake and try the age-old custom of baking the cake in a cast-iron pan.  I have a collection of pans in all sizes and use them nearly exclusively for everything.  For cake baking  (or pastry)  the method offers  a new dimension but one that’s so old fashioned you wonder why you haven’t used this method regularly.  The big difference is in the finished texture and taste of the cake.

Served with scoops of vanillla and coffee ice creams, are a perfect pairing with this rich-textured cake

It develops a wonderful top crust and the interior of the cake is richer and fuller; somehow all the ingredients of butter, sugar, flour, heavy cream and vanilla coalesce into what I think is the ultimate pound cake: big texture and flavor from baking it in such a heavy-guage pan that conducdts the heat so well.

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The Perfect Pound Cake Stands Corrected

December 7, 2016 / / Baking & Desserts

When the New York Times food pages ran an article (4/08/15) on the family recipes from poet Tracy K. Smith, it included one for pound cake and another for Alabama Lemon Cheese Cake. I was drawn to the pound cake recipe immediately because it sounded so good and I love pound cake.  The recipe was written with the Times‘ relatively new practice of giving both metric and traditional cup measures. I  made the cake  using the gram measurements.

The cake turned out to be one of the best versions of pound cake.  It was extremely buttery, dense and rich, improving in flavor the more it stayed in a covered cake dome on the counter. I published my version here last year, giving the ingredients in weight  as well as the cup measures.

My original pound cake adaptation using gram measurements

I made the cake many times since. Then I finally noticed a disparity in the Times’ calculation of equivalent measures of cups and grams.  Both the flour and sugar gram/cup equivalents were way wrong.

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Pound for pound, a fabulous plain cake

June 17, 2015 / / Baking & Desserts, Recipes

What makes pound cake so good is the simplicity of its ingredients: butter, eggs, sugar, flour and flavorings like vanilla, almond or lemon extracts. But there are also nuances that create levels of flavor and texture, making each version slightly different.  The batter could have brown sugar, cocoa powder, sour cream, buttermilk or yogurt, all of which create stunning variations.

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