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CLASSIC POUND CAKE

. . . .

Pound cake is a very old invention, created long

before we used chemical leavenings, like baking powder and

baking soda, to make cakes light and airy. In the earliest recipes, a pound each of butter, sugar, flour, and eggs were doggedly beaten together by hand for a long time to aerate the
mixture so it wouldnt be too bricklike. As Hannah Glasse
wrote in her cookbook, circa 1747, of mixing pound cake
ingredients, Beat it all well together for an hour with your
hand, or a great wooden spoon.
Even with the convenience of todays electric mixers, beating together the butter and sugar assiduously is still the secret
to the velvety texture of a classic air-leavened pound cake
tight and fine-crumbed, not dense and heavy. That kind of
mechanical leavening and the texture that results is the difference between a buttery coffeecake recipe and true pound
cake. Also, youll note that you start the cake in a cold oven,
which allows for a slow, steady phase of setting the proteins
and starches in the cake, followed by browning. Because this
style of cake doesnt have chemical leavenings, it doesnt need
that blast of heat that causes batters with baking powder or
soda to expand better in preheated ovens.
In addition to flavor, butter plays a key role in the classic
pound cake method because its semisolid nature traps air bubbles in a constellation of crystalline and soft fats. I have made
it with both higher butterfat brands (82 percent) and regular
unsalted supermarket butter; both work just fine, but the former has a bit more butteriness.

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B U TTE R

MAKES ONE 10-INCH BUNDT CAKE

....

pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk (preferably whole), warmed to room
temperature

. Butter and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan. In a large bowl,

using an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla
until very creamy and light, about 6 minutes, scraping
down the sides often. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating
well after each addition.
2. Combine the flour and salt. Add the flour mixture and the
milk alternately to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour, and mixing on low speed in between to
blend. Scrape down the sides as needed to make a smooth
batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Give it a
few raps on the counter to help force out any large air
bubbles.
3. Place the pan in a cold oven and set the oven temperature
to 350F. Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325F
and bake for 30 to 40 minutes longer, until golden and
firm. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn
out onto a wire rack to cool.
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