Just Plain Old Pound Cake Food

CLASSIC POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Set oven rack to center position and preheat to 325 degrees f.
• Grease a standard 9x5x3 metal loaf pan with crisco or softened butter-- dust with flour.
• Sift flour and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
• Place butter in your mixing bowl and beat until smooth, creamy and light colored-- 30 seconds on a stand mixer, 60 seconds by hand.
• Gradually add sugar and beat until butter is very white and fluffy.
• About 3 minutes on your stand mixer, 5 mins by hand.
• It's critical that everything is at room temperature at this point, feel the outside of the mixing bowl-- if it's too cool then allow it to sit until it reaches room temperature.
• Add the whole eggs, one at a time and beat for 20 seconds after each addition.
• The mixture should be dull and smooth at this point.
• If it appears grainy and/or curdled then the temperature is probably too cold for the eggs to combine properly with the butter.
• Allow it to warm then rebeat for a few seconds.
• This is critical for this cake as there is no chemical levener and having the eggs and butter properly mixed is the only thing that will give this cake structure and allow it to rise.
• DO NOT OVERBEAT, It will make the cake tough.
• Add vanilla extract and beat for a few more seconds.
• Sift the flour in three equal parts into the butter/sugar/egg mixture, folding gently into the after each addition until all the flour has been incorporated and the batter is well mixed.
• Be sure to scrape up from the bottom of the bowl frequently.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 70 minutes, rotating 180 degrees halfway thru the baking process.
• In 70 minutes test the cake with a wooden toothpick.
• If it's not done continue to bake and check every 5 minutes.
• Cool on rack for 5 minutes before removing from pan.

ORIGINAL POUND CAKE FROM 1700'S ENGLAND

Steps:

• Preheat oven 325 degrees.
• In mixing bowl cream butter and sugar.
• Add 1 egg at a time, beating after each.
• Gradually add sifted flour, 1/2 cup at a time, til all blended.
• Add lemon juice and lemon rind, blend inches.
• Pour into a buttered and floured tube pan.
• Bake 1hr 15mins to 1hr 30mins; Til toothpick in center comes out clean.

CLASSIC POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour the pan of your choice.
• Sift the flour and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. Whisk the whole eggs, yolks, milk, and the vanilla together in a 4-cup measuring cup or bowl, and set aside. In a heavy duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at a medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually pour in the sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, to cream and lighten the butter. (This should take about 3 minutes.) Once all the sugar is added, turn the machine off and scrape down the sides of the bowl and paddle with a rubber spatula. Continue to beat the butter mixture until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the lemon zest and beat for 30 seconds more.
• Turn the machine off and scrape the sides of the bowl again to assure even incorporation of the ingredients. Turn the mixer to its lowest setting. Gradually pour in the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, and beat the batter for 30 seconds. Gradually add the egg mixture. (It should take about a minute to pour all of it into the batter.) Remove the bowl from the mixer, scrape any batter off the paddle, and finish stirring the egg mixture into the batter with a rubber spatula. Take care not to over mix the batter, but make sure that you scrape the bottom of the bowl to evenly incorporate all of the ingredients.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth over the top with a spatula. Put the cake in the oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, and the top springs back when lightly pressed, about 1 hour and 30 minutes, for the tube or Bundt pans; and 50 minutes to 1 hour for loaf pans.
• Cool the cake, in the pan, on a rack, for 10 to 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a flat plate or cardboard. Re-invert the cake and set it right side up on the rack to cool completely. If not serving the same day, wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature, for 4 to 5 days or freeze for 1 month.

PLAIN POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper.
• Cream the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, beat in the eggs, 1 at a time.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
• When the cakes are done, let them cool for 10 minutes. Take them out of the pans, place them on a baking rack and allow them to cool completely. Wrap well, and store in the refrigerator.

JUST PLAIN OLD POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Prepare bundt pan by spraying with Cookers Joy or grease pans and lightly flour them, bumping off extra flour.
• Cream eggs and sugar.
• Add vanilla.
• Alternate adding the flour and oil until well mixed.
• Pour into a bundt or tube pan.
• Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.
• Test with tooth pick inserted into cake. If it comes out clean, cake is done. If there is batter on the tooth pick, bake for 5 more minutes and test again.

JUNIOR'S POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°.
• Butter 2 loaf pans (9x5x3 x 2 1/4-inch), then line the bottoms with parchment or wax paper.
• Sift the cake flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg together into a medium-size bowl and set aside.
• Cream the butter and shortening in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high until light yellow, about 5 minutes.
• Then, while the mixer is still running, add the sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, beating 1 to 2 minutes after each addition.
• Now add the eggs, one at a time, beating 3 minutes after adding each one.
• Beat the batter until it is light yellow, airy, and starts crawling up the sides of the bowl, a total of about 35 minutes in all. (this is important)
• Beat in the vanilla.
• Sift about one fourth of the flour mixture over the batter and stir it in by hand, then stir in one third of the milk.
• Repeat by adding one-quarter more flour, one third more milk, another one fourth of the flour, then the rest of the milk.
• Finally, stir in the rest of the flour.
• Stir after each addition until the ingredients are well incorporated.
• Gently spoon half of the batter into each loaf pan.
• Set the 2 pans side by side in the oven, making sure they are not touching each other.
• Bake the cakes until the tops are golden and the center of each cake springs back when you touch it lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs (not batter) clinging to it, about 1 hour.
• Let the cakes cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before removing them from the pans.
• Note: I am assuming that the 35 minutes total beating time includes all additions to the batter as well.