I made this pound cake the other day. Including the Bundt cake, it's the second cake I've made from scratch. It came out better than the Bundt but still left a little something to be desired. It was a bit more dense than I was expecting (and I was expecting it to be a little dense since it's a pound cake after all) but still had a good flavor and texture. We ended up pairing it with ice cream and it was the perfect compliment in all it's dense glory.
Perfection Pound Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour or 2 ¼ cups cake flour (I used cake flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Buter a 9-x-5-inch loaf pan or an 8½-x-4½-inch loaf pan. Put the pan on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets stacked one on top of the other.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Working with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until pale and fluffy, a full 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beater and reduce the mixer speed to medium. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1-2 minutes after each egg goes in. Scrape down the bowl and beater often as you're working. Mix in the vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, mixing only until it is incorporated, being careful not to overmix. Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and smooth the top.
- Put the cake in the oven to bake, and check on it after about 45 minutes. If it's browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent. If you're using a 9-x-5 pan, you'll need to bake the cake for 70-75 minutes; the smaller pan needs about 90 minutes. The cake is done when a thin knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven, transfer the pan to a rack and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Run a blunt knife between the cake and the sides of the pan and turn the cake out, then turn it right side up on the rack and cool to room temperature.
Wrapped well, the cake with keep for 5-7 days at room temperature or up to 2 months in the freezer.